It's a Southern Thing II, or whatever lol
by divalicious2
Summary: What if Charlotte King were hiding a lot more than a marriage?
1. Chapter 1

Those of you who have already read the first version, please don't spoil it for the newbies by giving things away. This story is very, very different, so what you think you might be giving away may or may not exist. Read on, brave readers. Things are not always what they seem- especially this chapter. ;)

It's A Southern Thing

"Hey," he smiled, but that was as far as he got.

The hazel eyes, which often were any color but, narrowed and glared back at him, the mouth that he loved puckered sufficiently in disapproval.

"Coop, this isn't a good time. I left you a message," she added her voice terse, her words low and clipped, "told you I was busy. "It's a family thing," she hissed.

"Not a good time? For Charlotte King? The insatiable-"

"_The movie's on!"_

Cooper started. He was surprised to hear another voice inside Charlotte's house. Though he was happy to note that at least it wasn't a man's voice.

Charlotte seemed to jump out of her skin and immediately closed the door so that only her face was visible.

She glanced fertively back inside, then back at him. "I have to go," she opened the door wide enough to begin pushing him away.

"I'll be sending a patient to you in the morning."

"Uh," he tried in vain to look past her into the house, "okay. Would you have told me this if I hadn't shown up tonight?" He took steps backward as she continued to come forward to ensure this.

"No," she answered.

"Leave, Coop. Now." She stepped back inside and shut the door in his face.

"Slow morning, huh?" Pete gave Dell a nod in acknowledgement as he walked past the desk.

"Yeah, so far. Dr. Freedmen has a patient already, and that's it. Well, for this early that is."

Pete shrugged. "Hey, that's fine."

The phone rang and Dell reached over a stack of files to answer it.

"Oceanside Wellness-"

Pete paused at the look on Dell's face.

"Uh, um, yes, yes he is." Then he pulled the receiver away from his face and stared at it.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Who was that?"

"That was Charlotte King."

Pete made a slight face, remembering his past interactions with the woman. She hated him. And he knew it was because he'd made her be vulnerable around him. She never let him forget it, and made it clear that under no circumstances was he to speak about what happened between them in that room. "What did she want?"

"She just wanted to know if Dr. Freedmen was in. When I said yes, she hung up the phone."

Pete laughed. "Make sure Violet's busy." He smiled then, thankful that Charlotte King hated Violet about fifty times more than she hated him. Clearly, she didn't trust doctor patient confidentiality or value Violet's professionalism too highly. It was a shame, but he had to admit he wondered just what Violet had gotten Charlotte to say. "Intimacy issues" was all she'd tell him.

Dell tilted his head in agreement. "Yeah."

Pete walked on towards his office as Dell turned back to his work.

The files in the filing cabinet were in order, but the papers within the files were a bit haphazardly thrown in. At the moment he was just straightening the papers in the files before placing them, then he had to have the month's vending orders ready for the lobby downstairs. Since Sam and Naomi owned the building, that meant all the little stuff went to Dell Parker, nurse and business management extrordainaire.

"Shit!" He hissed as an entire file, and it's contents were knocked to the floor.

"I knew I should have just organized from within the cabinet," he grumbled to himself, bending down to retrieve the papers and file from the floor. Once grabbed, he placed them on the desk, put the papers in order and back into their designated file. Then, having learned from his mistake, he placed the file on top of the others, picked them all up, and deposited them back in their filing cabinet of origin behind him.

"I'll deal with you, later." He said, pointing to the filing cabinet. Then he shrugged, it wasn't vital after all. He sat down with a sigh. "So much for that."

The sound of a throat clearing made Dell look up with a start. The face of a young girl, just barely above the desk top, stared back at him.

He grinned widely, somewhat embarrassed, and wondered how long she'd been standing there.

"Hi there! Sorry, I didn't hear you before."

The girl smiled at him in return.

"Hello, sir. I'm here to see Dr. Cooper Freedman."

Dell glanced at the schedule. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Um….well, I really don't know sir. I think so. My aunt told me to come."

"You're here by yourself?" He glanced around the empty waiting area.

"Yes, sir."

Dell smiled warmly, keeping his concern to himself. "Okay, well, Dr. Freedman is with a patient right now, but see those chairs over there? You can sit and watch tv, or read a book. It shouldn't be too long."

She nodded.

"Oh, what's your name? I'll tell Dr. Freedman you're here."

"Luanne King."

He nodded. "And you're mother's, I mean, your aunt's name?"

"Charlotte King- she's Dr. Charlotte King. She works over at the hospital." It was a statement, but the was the girl said it, it all sounded like a question.

Dell's eyes widened, then he squinted looking at the girl. He smiled again, trying not to look too shocked. "Okay, just have a seat then, I'll let him know you're here." She's self concious, he noted, judging by her habit of questioning sentences. It was a habit of his, reading people. He was good at reading people.

She turned and walked away to one of the chairs nearest her.

Dell rose, and quickly made his way to the kitchen where Addison and Naomi were eating breakfast. He opened the door just wide enough to peek his head in.

"Sorry, maning the desk for the time being, but- did you know Charlotte King had a niece?"

"I'm sure there's a lot we don't know about Charlotte King, Dell," Naomi answered.

Addison chuckled. "Let's keep it that way," she answered.

"No, she's here!"

"Charlotte?"

"No, her niece. At least, I think it's her niece, that's what she said anyway."

"That's odd. I mean, with Charlotte always being the one to espouse rules and law, you'd think she'd know it's not exactly standard procedure to leave a child-

"She's here to see Cooper."

"Cooper?" Addison's forehead lined in confusion, and she stood up.

"Thanks for telling us, Dell," Naomi smiled. "You go on back to the desk."

Dell nodded and walked back to the desk, knowing that the two women would soon find out all he wanted to know.

Seconds later Addison walked to the desk and grabbed a random file, she then walked back to Naomi, who had positioned herself on the adjacent hallway. Addison stood with her back to the girl, so that Naomi could see her, while both giving the impression of being immersed in some relevant medical conversation.

"She's a skinny little thing!" Naomi gushed. "She's like a little bird, with bird bone arms, and tiny legs! Oh, she's cute!"

They changed places.

"That beach tote is bigger than she is." The girl had her green tote bag, which was indeed bigger than she was, at her side on the chair, so that with the handle sticking up, the bag came nearly to her shoulder, and stuck out almost as far as her knee. "You could fit a whole person in there!"

"Maybe that's where Charlotte is," Naomi laughed at her own joke through bitten lips. "Move back," she ordered.

Addison changed places again and commented, "Boy for being related to Charlotte King, she certainly doesn't look much like her. Hopefully she doesn't act like her either."

"Hmm," agreed Naomi- hey, there goes Cooper's patient!"

"I mean, look at her hair, it's all matted, it looks like she hasn't brushed it in days and-

"Here comes Cooper. Boy that bag really is bigger than she is."

"I'm surprised any relative of Charlotte's would go out looking like that. She looks like she crawled out of-"

"Oh, be nice, she's only a little girl! She's probably just a tomboy-"

"Yeah, but still and she's"

"Pregnant!" Naomi gasped, her mouth dropped open in shock. "Oh my god!"

Addison's mouth dropped open, and she spun around to look, just in time to see both Cooper and the girl walking down the hall.

"What?"

"When she stood up to face Cooper- she held the bag in front of her, probably so he couldn't see, but I could. I could see her from the side- her stomach was sticking out."

Addison opened her mouth, but Naomi put her hand up.

"With those skinny arms and skinny legs, she's either so malnourished that her abdomen's distended, or she's pregnant. Addy, I know pregnant when I see it, and that girl is pregnant."

"And Cooper doesn't know?"

She shrugged. "Beats me. But he'll know in a minute, if she ever puts that bag away from her belly."

"So, your aunt is Charlotte King." He smiled and closed the door behind him.

"Doctor Charlotte King," she corrected him.

He nodded. "Yes, Dr. Charlotte King."

"You know her?"

Cooper smiled at the innocent sounding drawl the girl had. It was cute.

"I can't believe your aunt is Charlotte King."

"So, you do know her?"

"Yeah, yeah I do. We've worked together for some time."

"Oh."

"Well, if your aunt sent you here, I guess I'm going to have to examine you."

She was staring at the toys on his shelf, and took a moment before answering,

"Oh. I thought, well, I thought maybe she sent me here just to talk, or something."

He looked at her with open confusion.

"Well, I mean, Aunt Charlotte's a doctor and all, if there was something wrong, wouldn't she just be able to take care of it?" She puckered her lips and her small forehead wrinkled as she asked quickly, "Is there something wrong with me?"

"I, I don't know, Luanne."

She made a face. "Call me Caroline. Please," she added.

"Well actually, doctors aren't really supposed to medically treat their own relatives. It's, it's like a law or something."

"Well that's stupid. It'd be cheaper if she'd just-"

Cooper had moved to the sink to wash his hands, then pulled out a tray of instruments.

"What are you going to do?"

Just check a few things, your ears your eyes make sure everything works."

"Oh."

"When was the last time you went to see a doctor, Caroline?"

She mumbled something. Cooper leaned in to hear her better, but by then she'd stopped talking.

"What was that?"

The girl's mouth opened, and she seemed to be struggling to come up with an answer. Then she closed her mouth and shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno," she answered. "Whenever I have to. Or when I get sick."

He looked at her for a long moment, hoping his face didn't betray his thoughts. She was lying. But why? He considered the options and what scant facts he had. Maybe she had cancer, or was really sick and didn't want him to know? Or maybe Charlotte knew and her niece didn't? Maybe that's why Charlotte sent the girl to him in the first place. That was it, he reasoned.

"I'm going to have one of the nurses come in for a minute. I'd like to do some blood work on you."

The girl's already fair skin blanched and she grew wide eyed and looked at the door, as if fully ready to flee. "I don't like," she began.

"Needles," he finished smiling slightly.

"Yeah." She squared her jaw in determination.

Cooper sighed knowing exactly where this was going. Pick your battles, he reminded himself.

"I don't need any shots, and you don't need to take my blood, thank you. That's not what my aunt sent me here for."

He asked the obvious. "Then why did she send you?"

She shrugged, and answered just as frankly. "Got me. But I'm sure it wasn't for that." She seemed to halt herself then and engaged in a brief inner argument. "Dr. Freedman, sir," she finished. The way her mouth curled up at the words made it look as if she'd tasted something bad.

He sighed aloud this time and plastered on a patient smile.

"I see. Well, I'll just check a few things." She tightened the grip on her bag as he stepped towards her.

"Just follow this light. Don't move your head, just follow it with your eyes. Good."

He reached for his ear scope and moved to stand beside her. "I'll just take a quick look in your ears…" he moved to her other ear, "looks good. I see you have a functioning brain in there."

She gave him a half smile as he pulled out a tongue depressor and placed the scope back in its holder.

"Okay now open your mouth," he placed the depressor on her tongue, "Say ah."

"Ahhh!" She made a face as he pulled the depressor away.

'Alright then, let's listen to the old heart." He placed his stethoscope on her chest. "Just breathe normally," he told her. Then he took it away and moved to her side again, placing the scope on her back. From the looks of things clearly she had some problems going on, he'd leave well enough alone and take it up with Charlotte later.

" And take a deep breath in- and let it out. And another deep breath in- and out." He put the scope down.

"Everything checks out good so far." He nodded to her. "One last thing, and we'll be done."

He made sure his instruments were in their places as he tried to ignore both his curiosity and all the questions going back and forth in his mind, then he turned back to his new patient.

" Now I'll check to see if all your internal organs are where they need to be." He gave her an apologetic look, "I'll have to put your bag over there, can't have it getting in the way of your internal organs."

She sighed in resignation and handed it to him. As he put the bag on the nearest chair Cooper saw a familiar book lying inside of it. He turned back to Caroline.

"I see you're reading"

He stopped, his mouth open. _Holy crap._ He shut his mouth, then cleared his throat. "To Kill A Mockingbird." His voice cracked.

She looked back at him. "Yeah. It was in Aunt Charlotte's bookshelf. One of her book shelves- one of her many book shelves.

He took her by the elbow, trying not to think, guiding her down to the table. "I'm just going to press a bit on your stomach-  
"You're not lifting up my shirt," she told him.

He made a face. "No, no of course not. Don't need to."

"Good."

He had no intention of giving her anything close to his usual abdominal exam. This was well outside his expertise. So instead, he just placed his hands very lightly on her stomach, pressed the tiniest bit in a few places, and that was that.

"Here, we go, you can sit up now." He helped her back up to a sitting position.

"All done?"

"Yup."

"You're not gonna examine me below the belt, are you?" She raised an eyebrow.

"No! No. No." He shook his head and backed away in emphasis, hands raised.

"Well, that's good." She slid off the bed and grabbed up her beach bag. "Aunt Charlotte said if you tried anything fresh I could taize you."

Cooper laughed aloud.

"Taize me?"

Her face was deadpan. "What do you think is in the bag?"

He laughed again, in spite of himself, and in spite of the sick feeling he had in the pit of his stomach. At that moment she sounded exactly like Charlotte.

He opened the door and walked her out. The moment they left his office, Cooper could see Naomi, Addison, Dell and Pete staring. Which meant they knew before he did. Or suspected. He raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders up to his ears in silent communication saying to them I don't know any more than you do. Naomi put a hand to her forehead.

"Cooper!" The sharp voice startled him. Charlotte was standing at the elevators, looking daggers at the rest of the group. They'd get no answers from her.

Charlotte stepped up to the girl and spoke quickly, before she could, staring pointedly at her.

"Did Dr. Freedman take a look at you?"

"Yeah."

Charlotte crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

Her shoulders sagged visibly as she sighed. "I mean, yes.

Dr. King still didn't look pleased. "Yes, what?"

Caroline looked away and down at the floor, her face reddening. "Yes, Aunt Charlotte," she grumbled.

She nodded. "That's better."

She seemed to remember something, then stopped still and turned to him. "Thank you, Dr. Freedman, sir."

Charlotte herded Caroline to the elevator, a firm hand to the girl's shoulder, and looked back at Cooper.

"She tell you anything?"

Cooper looked at her in confusion. She was behaving as though he'd done something wrong. "No, not really."

"Make up your mind," she snapped, "which is it?"

Woah. Look out.

"Nothing that I can tell you."

Charlotte's hand dropped from her niece's shoulder and she charged at Cooper, stopping just short of slamming into him. "You tell me what she told you in that room," she hissed, her eyes locked like steel on his, "or you will not be seeing any of this," she looked down a moment then back at him, "ever again." Her teeth clenched, her shoulders squared. She was tiny, but definitely formidable.

He gave. But only slightly. "Nothing significant."

She spun back around just as the elevator doors opened again.

Charlotte nodded her approval. The elevator doors opened and she stepped inside, holding the doors with her hand.

"Let's go, Luanne."

"Charlotte!"

She couldn't actually be leaving like this. Just leave a kid on his doorstep so to speak, and then head for the hills. Was he just supposed to act like this was normal? Especially considering the fact that the kid was pregnant.

She looked daggers at him now. "No Cooper," she answered.

"We need to-"

"We need to do nothing of the sort."

Luanne stepped into the elevator and as the doors were closing they heard Charlotte ask, "So what did Dr. Freedman discover?"

"That I'll live. And I told him I'd taize him."

"Nothin' else?"

They saw the girl shake her head as the doors began to close and heard Charlotte's voice again as they closed fully.

"Good girl."


	2. Chapter 2

Cooper stormed into her office, without bothering to knock. He walked right up to where she was sitting at her desk, the same as usual, as if she hadn't a care in the word- or rather, from what he'd seen and heard, as if she didn't have a pregnant child in her care.

"Why didn't you tell me?" His voice was subdued, only for the sake of the kid who wanted to be called Caroline, who could be godknows where and he wouldn't know it. Charlotte certainly wouldn't tell him. But other than his subdued volume, his voice growled with disgust and rage.

Perfectly calm, composed, as if he should already know, she answered, "It's not our way."

"Are you an alien?" He shouted. " Not whose way?"

Her lips became a flat line and she glared at him. "Not funny, Cooper."

"I'm not joking. What is wrong with you? Who doesn't tell people- their own boyfriend that-"

"That what, Cooper?" She seemed to be playing with him then. "That they have family staying over?"

He suddenly felt tired and deflated. "You know that's not all there is to it."

"Oh, believe me Dr. Freedman, I know more than you'd ever want to know."

He sunk down to a chair and put his hands up in defeat. "Would you just tell me, please."

"What did she tell you? That might be a better place to start."

HE felt sickened. "Well, well…." He was so upset he could barely think straight. He was angry, and that was about all he knew at the moment. So, he decided to go with it. "For starters, she was carrying this damn green beach bag- you could fit the ocean in that thing! It was so big, and she held it in front of her. I didn't even know. I couldn't see half her body-"

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "You think that was an accident?"

He continued as though she hadn't spoken, "so that I didn't even know until I had to take the bag away- Charlotte!" His face contorted then showing a tormented man."It was disgusting!"

"You're calling my niece disgusting?"

He shook his head. "She- the- her" he let out a breath trying to compose himself to be able to catch a lucid train of thought, "her being-"

Cooper found suddenly that he couldn't get any further than that. Couldn't say it.

"She's pregnant, Coop," she said as if to slowly spell it out for him. As though it were nothing out of the ordinary. As if it were normal. "And that disturbs you?" She was putting on a show for him, faking her own emotions, and that sickened him. There was just something so wrong about all of this.

"I wanted to throw up," he muttered, making a face as though he'd eaten something sour or revolting.

She made a face back. Although the face she made was more along the lines of I want to squish you like a bug right now, than his physically ill visage. "Thanks for that. I'll be sure to pass along that information. That oughta get you a good taizing."

"Charlotte! You know what I mean."

She shrugged. "I don't know, Coop," she sighed and for the first time seemed weighed down. In the next instant though, as she inhaled, she sat straight again and was the image of strength and coldness.

She was silent for a long time, refusing to make eye contact. It seemed that she was fascinated with the chemical makeup of her desktop. Then she shook her head and let out a breath with her lower lip stuck out, so that the air made her bangs rise and fall. "I got there in time so that you wouldn't send her straight to Addison Montgomery."

"Was thinking about it."

"I bet you were," she agreed, the side of her mouth puckering up in that smug way that she had. "What, you think my niece couldn't have found her way back to me on her own? I was there to make sure you didn't send her anywhere but back to me."

"Charlotte, she needs to-  
"No."

"Charlotte, Luanne- Caroline-whatever she wants to be called, she has to have some-  
"No." She drew the word out this time. "I did not bring her there to be 'examined' by Addison. I brought her to you, because I figured she needed to be broken in to the idea."

"Broken in to what idea?"

"Coop," she began, then closed her eyes and swallowed hard. "She needed to get used to the idea, with the kind of exam that wouldn't leave her tramautized or-

"Taizing my ass," Cooper provided.

She smiled at him for the first time that day and nodded readily. "Exactly."

They were both quiet for a while.

"Do you know what she said to me?" To his amazement his voice had steadied and calmed. "She was clutching that tote bag like it was a lifeline, and when I offered to take it for her in the hallway, she said no."

"She said no?" Charlotte's hands flew up in mock surprise. "Well, that's a revelation."

"She said no, and then she said, "I am holding onto this. With all the thieves and hooligans and homosexuals around in this godforsaken city you live in, I don't want to take any chances."

Charlotte burst out laughing. "Yup, that's one o' my kind allright!" She laughed again.

"So, her family has her thinking it's okay to think that people who are different from you are bad?"

"Yup," Charlotte answered frankly. " And it's not just 'her family, it's everyone around her. Especially if they're a different religion than you are. I mean, if you're say, Baptist, and they're Catholic, then you're just not supposed to judge. But say you're Baptist and they're a," she paused, "to quote my mother "a total heathen" then you try to bring them to Jesus while you judge away."

"Oh, I see."

"Not likely. Coop, it's a Southern thing, you wouldn't understand. Maybe you oughta know that about me. My whole family is Republican," he made a face, "not everyone in the South is," she clarified, "but I am. I'm not as conservative as some, hell med school and living out here has taught me a thing or two- enough to qualify me as 'goin' straight to hell' depending upon who I run into from church. So all in all, I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying it's-"

"Different."

"Something like that."

Cooper let out a long breath, and glanced up at her. "So…"

Charlotte King raised her eyes to the ceiling and sighed loudly. "What?" She asked, her voice sounding tired and irritated. "What else?"

"This girl looks like she's all of ten years old- if not younger. She said she's twelve, and she wants to be called Caroline."

"Caroline?" She wrinkled her nose.

He shrugged. "That's all I know, Charlotte. Tell me the rest. I want to help her. Help you. I want to help you with her."

Charlotte looked down at her desktop and shook her head. "I don't know if I have it in me, Coop. To know all this is one thing, and it's hard enough believe me. But to have to say the words? To you?" She shook her head again. "I don't know if I'm ready for that."

At that, he pushed his chair back and stood up. Charlotte looked up, surprised. Cooper bit his lip and nodded at her. "When you're ready then." He walked to the door and turned back to her. "Let me know when you're ready."

He looked back at her again as he opened the door. She looked back at him, but gave no response. Then again, he knew her well enough not to expect one. Although to be frank, he hardly ever knew what to expect from her as it was.

"You, Montgomery." She pointed the finger of death at Addison. Or, at least that's how Addison perceived it. The core of the practice was gathered together in the kitchen, all for the moment grateful for the morning lull.

Charlotte took a good look around at everyone and glared. "Oh don't pull your "I'm so surprised" crap with me! Don't think like you all look clueless and innocent! And don't act like you all haven't been in here this whole time talking about my niece!" At that last bit, Charlotte seemed genuinely angry, as opposed to her usual crabbiness.

"You don't go near her."

"And, and you" she looked at Violet with pursed lips and pointed at her stomach, "you with your pregnantness- you don't go near her either."

Violet burst out laughing at Charlotte's diagnosis, not bothering to stop when Charlotte glared at her.

"What?" She asked. "She's pregnant, too, isn't she?"

Charlotte ignored her, and Addison spoke up.

"Charlotte, she needs-"

"No!" The sharpness of the word was like a gun shot. She shook her head so hard her brain was probably rattling. "People lived billions of years without that "pre-natal care" crap," she grumbled. "So you don't go near her. "The two of you, you don't go near her."

"But," Violet composed herself enough to speak again, "she needs to ta-"

"No." she raised her eyebrows, wagged her head at Violet. "Uh, uh Turner."

"Why not?"

"Because she won't like either of you, all right?" She took a deep breath in and swallowed. "You happy now?

"How do you know-

"Because I know my niece! And neither of you, you don't go near my," Charlotte took a breath in, "you don't go near my niece. You don't go near her," she repeated and swallowed again.

"You're not her type," she clarified.

"But"

"She's a lesbian?" Cooper asked the question half serious, half as a joke to break the tension. Charlotte looked at him as though she were trying to make his head explode by thought alone.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He closed his eyes and crossed his fingers. "There's no such thing as lesbians, there's no such thing as lesbians, there's no such thing as lesbians." He stopped and opened his eyes.

Violet laughed and grinned at him. He smiled back.

Charlotte glared at him. "Shut up, Toto." She cut glances at Addison and Violet.

"Just stay away from her."

"So, what?" Pete stepped into the conversation. "You're going to let her talk to Sheldon?"

She made a scoffing sound. "Sheldon's a turtle. I wouldn't let her go near him."

Pete left the room then, but his distance from them didn't hide the sound of his laughter down the hall.

"She doesn't need to talk to anybody- she has me." Charlotte nodded curtly as if that was all there was to say. "That's all."

And with that she left.

Addison shuddered. "Great, so this pregnant girl has the dragon lady to take care of her."

At the same time Naomi said, "I feel so sorry for that kid."

Cooper stepped forward. "Don't you get it?"

Addison turned to him. "Get what?"

He laughed, shocked at their blindness to it all. "You don't, do you?"

Shrugged shoulders and blank stares greeted him in response.

He shook his head and sighed. "Charlotte's terrified."

Violet snorted with laughter. "Charlotte King has never been afraid of anything in her life. Trust me, Coop, she's not afraid of a little pregnant girl!"

His gaze met Naomi's. "If it were Maya, wouldn't you be terrified?"

"Hey!" Sam shouted. He stepped between Cooper and Naomi. "No," he glared meaningfully at Cooper. "No," he repeated.

Cooper ignored him, continuing to address Naomi. "They're almost the same age-"

"Stop it, man. You don't go there. No. Not my daughter."

Naomi stepped back into view, to the side of Sam.

"I'd kill the son-of-a-bitch," she answered, with a smile that frightened him.

Cooper cocked his head to the side, looking at her from the corner of his eyes and nodded slowly. "Uh huh." He answered, then looked back in the direction Charlotte had gone, then he glanced at Naomi again. "Good to know. I'll keep that in mind."

K, next chap is a totally new one. There's gonna be a good handful of those. It'll take me a quick minute to get the next one up, so hold on. Maybe next week it'll be done. But be happy you got two in one day. ;)


	3. Chapter 3

"Notice how no matter which way she moves Caroline always finds some way to maintain physical contact, or she's so close that they could be touching."

Violet looked at the two thoughtfully. "Bet Charlotte hates that."

Dell nodded. "She does."

Violet regarded him with all seriousness. Clearly he'd been observing the two for some time, as if watching a documentary on Animal Planet.

"Notice how pissed off the kid is?" Pete asked, nodding to the little girl with the ratty blonde hair as he grabbed a chart.

"What?"

"How could you not notice that? When she says certain things or Charlotte gives her some sort of look, she looks away, but the look on her face is like she wants to kill someone- like, Charlotte."

"Oh, that," Dell waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, I noticed that."

Pete snorted with laughter. "Yeah, sure you did."

Violet let the two argue, too engrossed in watching Charlotte and Caroline as Dell had been doing earlier.

"She's got a lot to be pissed off about."

"She's pissed about being pregnant. That's plenty."

"Yeah," Pete considered then shook his head, "I don't think it's just that."

"_Just_ that? I'd say being in her situation is plenty to be pissed about. There's got to be enough anger in that to last the rest of her life."

Pete shrugged. "I think there's more to it."

"What else would she be pissed about?"

"You're the "I can relate to anyone" person," he offered. "Why don't you see if you and your observational skills can figure it out?"

"Fine." He met Pete's challenge with a set gaze. "But I still think I'm right. She's pissed about what happened to her."

"Care to put some money on that?"

"I'm not going to bet on some little girl!"

"Good idea," Naomi appeared behind them, her tone showing her full disapproval of whatever they'd been discussing."

Dell smiled sheepishly. "Oh, hi. We were just talking about-"

"I was just leaving," Violet added, grabbing her file and turning back to her office.

Dell rolled his eyes at Violet's cowardice.

Naomi then gave Pete and Dell a look that said clearly, "I don't know what you're doing but I don't like it," then she turned her attention to Charlotte and Caroline standing by the elevators.

"Charlotte?" She called to her.

Charlotte King looked up at attention and locked her eyes on Naomi.

"All set."

Charlotte gave a sharp nod in answer then turned to Caroline, pulling her arm. "Let's go, kid."

They walked briskly down the hall, after Naomi.

Dell looked after them, curious and slightly excited that he might have a new task for the day. He hurried after the trio.

"Uh, Naomi?" He called to her trailing at their heels. "Do you...need me for anything? Help with whatever it is you're doing?"

Charlotte stopped dead in her tracks. Following so intently, and so focused on the birthing suite ahead of them, which seemed to be where Naomi was leading them, he failed to see Charlotte's forward movement cease- and he ran right into her.

"Oof!" He grabbed Charlotte's shoulder in an effort to keep both of them from falling over, at the same time apologizing, "I'm sorry, Dr. King. I didn't mean to-"

She spun around, looked him up and down, then up and down again, her lips pursed in disapproval. Then she shook her head as if he were hopeless, and addressing Naomi behind her said, "You know, I'd really rather have Doogie Howser, over this over-eager hound pup you got here." She glared at him to keep his distance, then turned back around so that she and Caroline could continue following Naomi.

"No thank you Dell," Naomi answered over her shoulder, "we're fine."

Dell just stood there a moment, considering. Charlotte had said she didn't like him, implied that he knew nothing and was immature, but she hadn't said he couldn't follow them. With a smirk, he continued to follow after the three, at a safe distance, and as quietly as possible.

Naomi opened the door and stood aside. "There you go."

Charlotte and Caroline stepped through the doorway.

"See?" Charlotte nodded to the television mounted on the wall. "Told you they had a tv in here."

For a moment Caroline regarded her aunt as though she were being tricked, then stepped inside further.

As she did so, Charlotte sidled up to Naomi. "Told you it'd work," she whispered.

"She doesn't even know us," Naomi whispered back. "What'd you do, bribe her?"

Charlotte shrugged. "I just deprived her of tv for the past two days. Then when we got here today I said, you wanna go watch some tv while I work? She said yes. I said she'd have to go up to Dr. Freedman's work to watch it, she said fine."

Naomi shrugged as well as Caroline made her way back towards them. "Works for me."

Charlotte stared at the small person in front of her in expectant silence. Then finally she scowled, cut her eyes at Naomi and hissed, "What do you say to Dr. Bennett for being so nice as to let you watch tv here?"

Pete nudged Dell in the shoulder and grinned mouthing, "I'm right." Dell just rolled his eyes and focused again on the girl.

Caroline squirmed with discomfort. "Thank you," she smiled.

"And?"

A blank stare and a shrug was her response.

"Thank you, what?" She prompted.

"Oh." Her eyes lit with realization, then her cheeks reddened as she answered again, "Thank you, Dr. Bennett."

Charlotte quickly motioned with her hands that she was expecting more. Caroline's face reddened making the specks of freckles across her nose stand out.

"Ma'am," she muttered.

Naomi smiled cheerily and nodded to her. "You're welcome!" Then she turned and began walking back to her office.

Standing just behind the two, it was easy to hear Caroline ask Charlotte King, "I thought you said people over here don't ma'am and sir people," she asked, keeping her voice low. But not so low that Dell and Pete couldn't pick it up.

"I did. They don't," she answered brusquely.

Caroline looked irratated. "Then why," she hissed, "are you making me say it? It's embarrassing."

"I didn't know having good upbringing and manners were a bad thing."

"It makes me stand out," she answered her tone flat. "I already do that enough."

Charlotte made a scoffing sound. "Girl, you stood out since the day you were born. You're like a sore thumb," she shook her head at the problem that had no solution, "ain't no helpin' that."

Caroline let out an exasperated sigh, to which Charlotte responded with a quick, non-verbal thump to the head.

Charlotte set her jaw and glared at the doorframe.

"Now, you behave yourself and stay out of sight, you hear me?"

She nodded.

"You do what any of the adults here tell you to."

Dell made a face.

"What?" Pete whispered.

"Nothing. Tell you later," he whispered back.

Charlotte turned back the way she'd come as Caroline walked into the room, plopped herself on the bed and switch the tv on.

Seeing Pete and Dell still standing there, who she'd heard following them and breathing down her neck for what felt like forever, she shook her head at them till her hair swung back and forth like chimes in the wind.

"You realize you're like a rhino trying to stalk a cheetah, right? Like a bull in a china shop? Heaven help us, I guess we should all count our lucky stars you're both in the medical field, not in the army or the CIA- can you imagine how many people would die if secrecy were entrusted to these two morons?"

Naomi, at the end of the hall by then, yet still able to hear Charlotte's loud voice, laughed aloud.

As Charlotte stood waiting for the elevator and tapping her foot with impatience, Violet walked over and grabbed her by the arm. Charlotte gasped and jumped with fright.

Violet winced. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Charlotte took a deep breath in through her nose, shook her hair back into place and smoothed her skirt nonchalantly. "You didn't."

Violet gave a half smile, but managed to keep her doubtful laughter in check. "If you don't mind my asking-"

"I do."

Violet continued nonetheless, "Why did you bring Caroline here, and put her in the birthing suite?"

"To get her used to it," she answered just as the doors opened. "And she was getting tired of staying home alone. I got all the books in the world there, and she still complains she's bored and doesn't want to stay by herself. Shit, it's like she's five or something."

She shook her head and looked heavenward as though her little charge were hopeless, then stepped into the elevator.

At a sudden loss for words, Violet called out as the doors closed, "We'll call you if anything happens!"

As soon as she was gone, Cooper, following Pete and Dell stepped forward.

"We need to talk," Dell told her.

"Do we?"

"Yes," he answered with certainty. "Well," his certainty suddenly seemed to drop, "maybe."

"It's just that we've noticed some things about Charlotte's niece."

"We?" Dell looked at him with amusement.

"You're the one that thinks it's just her 'situation' that's pissing her off. I'm the one that thinks there's more to it."

"Regardless," Violet butted into their conversation gently, "do you really think it's right to just discuss her like this? A little girl who has clearly gone through a lot."

"Especially living with Charlotte King," Pete grinned.

"Hey!" Cooper shoved him- somewhat gently.

Violet tried to look at Pete with disapproval for his word choice, especially considering that Cooper was right there, and he'd just bad-mouthed his girlfriend, yet she couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

"Maybe what we need to do, or what you need to do," she looked at Cooper, "is to talk with Charlotte. Find out what's going on."

He shook his head. "I've barely seen her in the past couple of days, she won't even take my calls."

"I'm sure this is hard on her. Whatever happened, I'm sure it has to be difficult for them both."

"Are we," Same walked up, holding his hands up, "working?"

He motioned to the patient lounge which was half full of patients yet to be seen.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but there are people sitting over there, right?" He smiled at his friends, but he was serious.

They began to dispurse when suddenly Charlotte King walked out of the elevator.

"Didn't she just leave?" Pete muttered.

She glanced sidelong at him, as she grabbed Sam and Violet by the shoulders pulling them after her and indicating that everyone else should follow.

Confused, yet intrigued they all did.

Once in the hall again, Charlotte released Violet and Sam and yelled, "Luanne King, you get your skinny butt out here right now!"

"What happened?" Cooper asked her.

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "No sooner do I get down to the lobby than my cell rings. It's her," she nodded to Caroline who'd just stepped out of the birthing suite, carrying her green bag, "calling and saying "I can't stay here by myself with all these strangers".

The way Charlotte imitated her niece's voice made him laugh.

"So," Charlotte walked over to her niece and called out, "Addison and Naomi, neither one of you is working yet, don't act like you are. Come out here a minute."

Addison walked out of Naomi's office, looking at Charlotte like she wanted to kill her. "Who does she think she is," she hissed to Naomi, "ordering us around?"

"I'm the chief of staff at the hospital at which you have priveledges, Montgomery. That can change."

Caroline sideled up to Charlotte so that their arms were touching.

"Now," she looked down at Caroline, "so that all these people aren't strangers anymore," she motioned to each person as she introduced them each by title and last name only, ending with Addison she said, "I believe you've already met." In fact, Addison had been the reason the girl'd called her.

Addison gave a solitary nod.

"Now, do you have anything to say?"

Violet had taken note again of Caroline moving closer to Charlotte when she introduced the men of the practice.

The girl looked warily around. "I'm hungry."

"You just ate!"

"Yeah, an hour ago. I'm hungry," she repeated.

Charlotte sighed defeated. "Fine. You'll come to my office, grab food and bring it back up here."

Without a thank you or another word to anyone else, Charlotte shoved her niece in the direction of the lobby, talking the whole while. Finding their diatribe entertaining, Dell, Pete, Violet and Cooper followed after them- as casually as it was possible to do. Although they all realized that with the frazzled state Charlotte King was in, they were the last thing on her radar.

"And you will eat the food up here, without making a mess. You speak to no one, unless they speak first, and if it's an adult I better hear a ma'am or sir at the end of every sentence. You are not to 'hang out' with or pester anyone here. They all have work to do. So you just stay up in that room, quiet as a mouse till I come fetch you." She stopped for breath and jammed the elevator button.

"And, you remember what I told you. If anyone asks you anything personal, you do not have to answer, but you better come up with a polite response, nonetheless."

"I know," she slumped under the weight of so many directives.

The elevator doors opened and Charlotte and Caroline stepped inside, Charlotte voicing aloud,

"Acting like a five year old, like you don't wanna stay alone," she growled.

Pete made a motion as if he were raising his hand. "I'm not a therapist, but can I state the obvious?"

"No!" Cooper and Violet answered at the same time. The last thing they all needed was to piss of Charlotte King more.

"You have five minutes to grab food." Charlotte pushed the close doors button.

"And what is this about you wanting to be called Caroline?"

She turned to answer her aunt just as the doors closed.

Violet looked at Cooper. "I've never seen Charlotte so angry over nothing before. It's really irrational. Cooper, that girl needs help, and you're right- Charlotte is scared."

"I agree," Dell echoed Violet. "And whatever happened, I think it's not just Caroline that's going to need help."

"But having to live with Charlotte King, it'd probably be a good start."

"Pete!" Violet glowered and flicked her pen at him. He simply dodged it and smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

Special request at the end of this chapter. Finish the chapter and then we go from there. Oh, and I cut out a lot of details so it wouldn't be so darn wordy.

It's A Southern Thing

"She said "do what any of the adults here tell you to do."

Pete shrugged. "And?"

Dell lowered his voice. "Most of the time, when a child is raped it's by someone that they know. A teacher, uncle, friend of the family- someone. So she might have had to obey an adult, and that adult raped her."

Pete wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "That's really, really reaching for it. Just...let it go Dell. She's fine."

"She's pissed."

"But fine otherwise."

That day, when Charlotte dumped Caroline into Naomi's hands again, the members of the Oceanside Wellness staff close enough to the elevators were treated to some mild morning entertainment. From the looks of things, Caroline and Charlotte King were refusing to speak to one another, or perhaps had had a fight on the way over. Caroline's arms were crossed over her chest, and Charlotte, perhaps feeling nothing other than right and annoyed, simply looked straight ahead, without as much as a glance to the girl.

At noon, leaving Caroline sitting on the couch in her office, Violet got up and headed to the kitchen.

"I thought you said we shouldn't talk to Caroline yet. Until Cooper talked to Charlotte," Dell caught up with Violet, which wasn't a difficult thing to do.

"Shrink's prerogative." She smiled.

"Well?"

"Nothing you don't know already- and somethings I won't tell you." At the sad questioning look Dell gave her, she smiled sweetly at him and said, "They're private."

"So, what do I know already?"

"Caroline's mad at Charlotte."

How'd you figure that out?"

"I asked her if she was mad at Charlotte."

"If you ask me, Charlotte is mad at Caroline."

"I agree."

Dell laughed. "Okay, did Caroline say why on either count?"

"Negative. That little girl is tough to crack. I asked about school and her friends, and she talked about that." She didn't add aloud that little Caroline, in her comfort zone was obviously much more social and friendly than her aunt. "That was about it. I then asked about her family and she wouldn't say another word- after saying politely, "I'd like to not talk about that, 'ma'am'."

"Hmm." Dell looked dangerously thoughtful.

She squeezed his shoulder. "I wouldn't try it, if I were you."

He flashed her a smile and reddened, embarrassed that his thoughts were so transparent.

"Violet Turner!"

The southern voice snapped out her name like it was a whip.

Seated with Dell in the kitchen, both helping themselves to a nice chicken salad Naomi'd brought in for them, Violet turned slowly, not bothered in the least because she knew exactly why the small woman was upset.

"I told you to stay away from her!"

"Yes, you did." She agreed.

Charlotte glared at Cooper's crazy pregnant friend, wishing she could smack her hard. "Apparently what I say means nothing to you."

She shrugged. "I thought it would be nice to get to know Caroline."

Charlotte snorted, clearly finding Violet Turner to be as transparent as Violet had found Dell to be.

"You mean," she corrected, "poke your nose where it doesn't belong."

Violet shrugged then held up her plate of chicken salad. "Want some salad?"

Charlotte fought back a smile and a laugh. It was like elementary school, and Violet thought Charlotte should just forgive her so they could 'get back to being best friends already'. But they never were friends. Yet recently Violet had been aggrivatingly trying like hell to make Charlotte let her be her best friend. It was weird.

"Tell me what she told you, what kind of mess you were trying to get her to spill to you?"

"You know I can't do that."

"I know she's not your patient," she countered, narrowing her eyes and smirking with self-rightousness.

"What people tell me I keep in confidence."

"When it serves you, you mean."

"Turner, you tell me what you tried to pry out of her and what she told you, or it'll be a cold day in hades before I allow you at St. Ambrose."

Violet was stunned. Charlotte didn't usually weild her power in such a way. She must really be worried about something.

Dell nodded to himself. I knew it. Knew it. It's a family member and Charlotte is too ashamed to let that truth be told. Then he shook his head. Thats terrible. Charlotte King is more worried about her own pride than her niece's wellbeing?

Charlotte snorted then and turned away, not wanting to waste any more time on a fruitless mission. Cooper apparently figured out she was there, as the moment she turned away from the kitchen, he was at her heels.

She shoved at him to keep his distance. "Damn it, Cooper! I got everyone hounding me today- I don't need you too!"

He was curious and concerned by that, and decided to continue with his original plan.

"Charlotte, let me help you. I want to help. I know something's on your mind and it's bothering you. Just talk to me?"

She kept walking, it was an effort to remain silent.

Finally she said, without looking at him, "You know, sometimes a person does things, and it's to protect other people. Sometimes it's just because they love them so much. Maybe they're even willing to let that person they love believe something that isn't true, or have an image of them that isn't true. Or allow themselves to be hurt because they love someone else more than they love themselves. Willing to sacrifice yourself for someone else, and look where it gets you."

Cooper was now completely baffled, but said nothing more, afraid of making whatever it was worse.

She walked on in silence, then stopped and looked at him in confusion.

"Did you say somethin' a minute ago?"

Cooper just smiled, chuckling and shook his head at her reticence.

"Oh," she nodded, searching her memory banks. Finally she answered his original concern. "Trust me I am helping you by not telling you."

He sighed. _Useless_.

She continued walked down the corridor, towards her sulking niece, heels clacking- when her cell phone rang.

"What now?" She grumbled as she fumbled for it in her purse.

"Dr. Charlotte King."

There was a slight pause as she relaxed slightly and rolled her eyes. "Oh. No problem. Hold on."

Caroline was standing in the hall, directly outside of Violet's office, learning against the wall, her green bag characteristically thrown over her stomach.

Charlotte raised her chin to her in a half nod. "Kid! Phone."

She held her cell out and Caroline took it wordlessly.

Cooper decided to stay on the perimeter of this. He simply watched, silent, trying to gather clues.

"Hello?"

Her sullen expression vanished instantly replaced by a huge smile and eyes.

"Daddy!"

Her excitement level seemed to drop however with whatever her father was saying on the other end.

"Yeah," she sighed. "Yes, sir." She looked at the floor, turning her body away from Charlotte.

"I know," she hissed pushing her hair behind her ear, "but she won't even let me-"

She stopped talking, clearly being cut off on the other end.

"She said I couldn't-"

Caroline again stopped abruptly, then waited struggling with patience and obedience until finally she could speak again.

"Why not? I'd rather."

Another lengthy pause. Charlotte rolled her eyes, tapping her toe, clearly conveying a message to Caroline. Caroline ignored her.

"Yes, sir. But Daddy, she even said-"

"Yes. I know." Clearly whatever she was agreeing to or admitting, she did not like it.

Then she sighed heavily.

"Okay."

Another sigh.

"Love you, too. Bye."

Then looking to the side to avoid looking at Charlotte, she held the cell phone out in her outstretched hand.

Charlotte snatched it back, and without so much as a backward glance, she grabbed Caroline by her arm pulling her along even as she said, "Let's go."

"Don't have to stay at the hospital today?" Cooper called after her. It was barely afternoon.

"I'm Chief of Staff," she shot back, "I can do whatever I please."

Cooper let out a slow breath as the disappeared in the elevator.

"Well, that went well."

############################################################ #############################

"Mama?"

She stood there, staring intently and waiting. After a few moments of non-response, and when intense staring to try and telepathically communicate her need didn't wake her, she tried again.

"Mama!"

Charlotte groaned and stired, blinking heavily to see Luanne's figure outlined in front of her.

"What is it?" She was far too sleepy to be worried.

"I can't sleep."

Charlotte gave a half smile. The girl's accent was much thicker than hers. When she said the word I, it sound like, 'ah'. She pulled the covers back and scooted backward.

"Get in." She pronounced her e like an I. It wasn't that she couldn't pronounce the e as folks in non-southern areas did, she just chose not to. How she spoke was a part of her and a proud reflection of her. Just like Luanne.

Charlotte was just falling asleep again when she heard whimpering. Her ears pricked up and she became aware that Caroline was fideting, squirming.

"What?"

Caroline moaned and cried. "It hurts!"

She tossed around in her spot on the bed. "Ow! Oww!" She immediately thumped her stomach with her hand. "Ow! _Stop_ it!" She smacked her stomach again, harder. Charlotte recognized the same words and tone that her daughter used with her half sister, when the child had yanked her braids at her birthday party.

"Luanne, you can't do that," she hissed. "It's not like when you thump a dog on the nose when they're being bad and they stop. This ain't like that. Doesn't work like that."

"Mama," she whined, "it hurts!"

More concerned and awake now, Charlotte put a hand to Caroline's protruding abdomen. Feeling expertly, allowing her hand to be as penetrating as her eyes.

"What hurts?" She asked. "Is it your stomach? Like, stomach cramps?"

She shook her head and Charlotte heaved an audible sigh of relief.

With that, she felt the baby move and Charlotte stopped breathing. _Christ_. She closed her eyes and tried to steel herself. She knew what she'd have to do. It might not work, but then again it might.

She put a hand to Caroline's head, guiding it back down to the pillow. "Shh, shh," she cooed, "Just snuggle up against me. Mama's here. Mama'll take care of you. You just rest and go back to sleep."

She felt her daughter's tense muscles relax, and relieved and trusting in her mother's ability to solve any problem, she did as told, scooting back until her mother's body cradled her own like a cushion.

Charlotte started rubbing Caroline's stomach, the same way she used to rub her back to get her to sleep at night.

"Just try to relax," she whispered.

Feeling the baby move inside Caroline was like being stabbed in the heart. With each movement under her hand, it was as if she were being burned. She took deep breaths, doing this because it needed doing, and might help. She just hoped Caroline wouldn't be able to tell she was crying. Above all, she hated that instead of trying to calm her own daughter, what she was doing now was just as much intended to calm and quiet the child of her child's rapist.

"This is all my fault."

Deep in thought, and almost asleep admittedly, Charlotte was snapped back when she heard this.

"None of this your fault, Luanne."

"This is," she angrily poked at her stomach.

"Don't do that," she mumbled, sleep already threatening to reclaim her. Her hand had relaxed in it's motions and simply lay across Caroline's stomach protectively.

"Not your fault,"she repeated.

"I should have told." Car

"It's understandable. Go to sleep now, we'll talk about this proper in the morning."

"God's punishing me with this. This is my punishment for being stupid,"she grumbled, angry, "and probably not going to church enough."

"Crazy." She yawned heavily and put her arm around her daughter, holding her to her like a teddy bear. "Not your punishment." She yawned again.

It was hers.

Okay you guys need to tell me honestly if you think I should have put another chapter or two before this one. Too soon? There are going to be some more twists, but initially...I was going to wait till the end before any of this came to light. And cut ALL 'scenes' or chaps where you see Charlotte and Caroline alone together for that reason. If you all wanna play it that way, I'm game. Tell me which way you want to go on this one. Although like always it seems like you folks are reading my mind, so this should be interesting. Let me know what you think about this chap. Too jumbled? What did you LIKE and not? "

Nother question...I get in a pickle with the Caroline/Luanne thing. Since Charlotte calls her by her given name, if it's just Charlotte and Caroline/Luanne by themselves, should I refer to her in the text as Luanne? Or only when Charlotte is specifically thinking something about her? I left it mixed on purpose the last part so you can see what I mean. Which is correct?

FYI- Will be holding off on the next Chapter till I get more input on this one from you guys, because I need the input to write. Plus if I don't feel like anyone's reading- why bother?


	5. Chapter 5

"But I don't want to stay there with a bunch of strangers!"

There was a woman and her dog jogging across the street, but Caroline paid them no mind.

"Get your hand off the doorknob- now! If you make me late for work I swear-"

"Why can't I just stay here?"

"Went over that," she hissed. "Let go of the door."

"I don't belong there!" She insisted, refusing to obey in regard to freeing the door handle of her hand. "I'm in the way! And people stare at me!"

"Get your sassy butt in the car, right now Luanne!"

"I wanna stay here! I'm not a baby!"

"I know that." She hissed the words through gritted teeth, glaring at her. "But you can't stay here alone-"

"Then let me go to work with you," she pleaded, "or stay in your office."

Looking at Luanne was starting to make her sick. Looking at her face filled her with love and remorse. Looking at the rest of her just filled her with guilt.

For a moment she considered the request. If the choice was that or go to the hospital...

"Fine. You can stay in my office, but you don't leave it- shit," she stopped herself. "There's no bathroom in my office. If you haveta puke or pee- no, you stay at Cooper's work. In that room. You can wander for all I care. But you sure can't do that down at my office."

"Why?"

"Sheldon Wallace would try to shrink you."

"Now, we are leaving, and don't you start bawlin' or whinin' at me before someone calls CPS."

################################################################

"Well you look like you're having a great morning," Cooper smiled at her laughingly.

Charlotte glared at him. "Were having a fine morning, till that one," she jerked her thumb backwards at Caroline, "decided to pitch a fit leaving the house."

"Throw a fit," Cooper corrected.

"No, pitch," she stared at him pointedly. "Throw implies that the fit is going far away from you like throwing a ball. Pitch means it stays right there," she pointed to the floor, "planted by you. Pitch a fit is definitely what that kid did."

"I'm standing right here," Caroline muttered, glaring at her.

"Little girl, don't let your mouth write a check you ass can't handle." She didn't even look at Caroline, just kept staring at Cooper

"If I was living in Jesus' time I'd be married by now, or at least next year," she corrected, indignant that she was considered to young to stay at home alone.

"You'd be stoned," she corrected. "Rape was considered adultery."

Caroline just glared.

"And if you don't stop cuttin' your eyes at me, you'll be lucky to see another year," Charlotte added in an amusing falsetto, still without taking her eyes from Cooper.

Cooper was impressed. He could see around her. Charlotte was good, little Caroline was indeed giving her a death glare.

Charlotte kept her eyes trained on Cooper, until Addison Montgomery entered her line of vision.

"Montgomery!" She called out. "I need you for a consult."

Addison stopped in her tracks. "I'm busy, Charlotte, and the work day hasn't even started yet."

"Cut the bull," she corrected. "Going to have that green sludge you drink does not qualify you as busy."

Addison raised an eyebrow.

"I need you to look at this one here," finally Charlotte turned to face Caroline, grabbing her by the arms and shoving her forward towards Addison.

Caroline balked, jaw agape, eyes wide, looking from Addison to Charlotte in shock.

"What the-" the words seemed to squeak as they left Caroline's mouth.

"Needs an ultrasound," Charlotte finished. "Check for any uterine tears or weakening."

This had Addison's attention. Her face changed from annoyance to concern. "Of course," she nodded, stepping towards Caroline, hand out to guide her back to the exam room.

But Caroline stepped back as if she'd been slapped.

Although she had no idea what her mother'd meant in her conversation with Addison, she was sure it meant nothing good, and probably almost definitely a shot at the end. Then she recalled the word ultrasound. She'd learned what that word meant first hand, immediately backing further away at the thought.

"No way" She insisted."You didn't say anything about having to go to the doctor!"

"If I had you'd never have let go the door handle," she countered.

Naomi had been standing at at distance the whole while, observing without seeming to be seen. Now deeming it safe she stepped out of the shadows and closer to Cooper. They definitely would need to talk about Charlotte.

Gleaning what had most likely occurred that morning, having had to pry Maya's little hands from the front door knob many a time, Naomi smiled at Cooper. The thought of Charlotte King having to be a guardian or in a parental role was funny, yet sad. She felt sorry for Caroline.

"I don't want to!" She insisted, sullen.

"Don't you start that again."

Defiant, Caroline stood in place, refusing to move.

Charlotte's eyes widened and her nostrils flared in a combination of anger and embarrassment- which only served to make her even angrier.

"You come with me and Dr. Montgomery," she ordered, "or you won't live to see tomorrow, let alone next year."

There was silence and stillness as the two stared at each other. Each one waiting for the other to give and back down.

They're certainly well-matched, Naomi mused.

Finally, with an angry glare, Caroline reluctantly moved after Charlotte, who was already following to catch up with Addison across from her.

"Might be worth it,better than living like this" Caroline grumbled. "Hell bitch," she hissed angrily under her breath. It was a phrase she'd picked up from her Uncle Duke.

She hadn't been quiet enough.

At the words both Cooper and Naomi gasped silently, looked to each other as if to ask, Did you hear that?, back at Caroline, then down the hall at Charlotte.

They heaved a sigh of relief . Charlotte was too far away to hear the slung insult.

Then the tiny blond stopped. There was a pause and suddenly it was as if the entire world halted. Charlotte King turned around as if moving in slow motion, a look of disbelief across her face.

"What did you say?"

Cooper shuddered. Her voice was calm, way too calm. With quick steps he walked till he stood between Caroline and Charlotte.

"She didn't mean it," He began.

"Don't stick up for her," Charlotte shot out.

He walked forward to her quickly as she was moving in to swoop down on Caroline. "She's doing it on purpose, she wants to make you mad. She wants to get out of the exam."

"Oh, she's gonna get a lot of things she doesn't want." Charlotte replied.

The echo of the assertion in the elevator, _"You're ashamed of me!"_ still rang in her ears while stabbing at her conscious and heart. It made her sick.

Suddenly she wanted to cry. So she looked at her baby instead, allowing her own self hatred to fill in the void.

"Get your butt over here, before I beat it off of you!" You're having an ultrasound, end of story. One snivel about it, and that'll be the last thing you ever do. Tell me what you're gonna do? Better think twice."

Cooper stared at Charlotte in disbelief as Caroline walked past him to follow Charlotte and Addison. He looked back at Naomi, who was shaking her head, mouth open as well.

Okay I'm hungry! Feed me some reviews! And yes, this chapter was very harsh, clearly there's a reason for it.


	6. Chapter 6

He'd been trying to remember the funeral. The reception at the house. All adults milling around making polite conversation and small talk while eating in the parlor, or seated outside. Mrs. King was up in her bedroom "overwhelmed" by the whole situation. Charlotte was in the kitchen with some of the local women who liked to be kept busy. Occassionally as Charlotte came through the door with a platter of food, he could hear snatches of conversation. "Honey, why don't you go sit down? Or go lie down? You look more worn out than an old tire."

Charlotte would plaster on a smile and say, "No, thank you. I'm just fine, really. Could you grab that bowl of potato salad?"

She was playing hostess. But Cooper could tell she'd just wanted all these people to get the hell out of her house. He'd cornered her once and asked her about it. If she wanted him to see that people got on their way instead of lingering and eating.

"You know, he whispered, "no matter what the circumstance people always linger around food. If there were suddenly a food shortage-"

"Cooper," she glared at him with disapproval. "That wouldn't be polite."

He sighed then, wondering why it was the family of the deceased that was always expected to put on this charade. And tired and grief worn as they were, you'd think the intelligent thing to do would be to have a dinner at a neighbors home.

When he'd walked outside shaking his head, that's when he'd seen them.

Off in the distance there was a small group of girls walking near the pasture. Childish laughter reached his ears and he watched as one girl ran ahead of the others, laughing.

This brought swift action from the tallest girl in the bunch. He'd heard a shout, but couldn't make out the words. Though he imagined it had something to do with having fun when someone'd just died, as the girl quickly fell back in line with the others. All girls were blonde, all wearing varying styles of white dresses.

He'd found Duke and Landry off with the men on the back patio. Everyone seemed to be divided into groups. The children, for the most part stayed separate from their parents, unless called in for food. The women gathered together in the house with some of the older gentlemen. The younger men Duke and Landry's ages were out back. Cooper had a feeling that was where he belonged, but he couldn't quite abandon Charlotte, and didn't think he, a virtual stranger, who'd taken the King father off life support, would be welcome in the back with the other men.

He'd learned that most of the girls outside were Landry's children. The boys hanging out on the opposite side of the lawn children of neighbors or nephews.

Thinking back on it, he tried to remember if he'd seen Caroline there. He was almost positive she'd been the girl he'd watched running in the field, chin held high and laughing.

"Well?"

Cooper snapped out of it.

"What?"

"You been standing there staring at me like I'm a vending machine or something. What is it that you want?"

"I..I came to see if you needed anything, he glanced around her empty office, still hating the coldness of the metals and dark colors of this practice. "Or wanted to talk."

"How sweet," she smiled. Then her smile vanished and she glared at him, snapping open hr laptop. "I don't."

He glanced around her office. Caroline was nowhere to be seen. After the crisis averted at his practice, the two had been carefully separated, with assurances that Caroline would stay upstairs with them, hanging out in the room that Caroline thought was just a regular patient room, not their birthing suite.

There had been yelling, Charlotte and Caroline's voices only, naturally Addison was not going to take part. Fifteen minutes later, Charlotte was dragging Caroline by the wrist down the hall, and with a shake and hissed words released her. Sullen faced, and red cheeked, Caroline continued to walk behind Charlotte.

Watching from the desk Cooper saw Caroline's face light up with a sudden evil grin. He could almost read her mind. Whatever had transpired during her exam, Caroline awas going to exact revenge, and happily so as in public Charlotte wouldn't do anything much to her. She was going to test her limits. He watched as Caroline walked closer behind Charlotte, grinning braodly now. He saw her pick up on foot, pulling it back behind her

"Charlotte!" He held up a hand to stop her forward motion as Caroline's leg was about to kick out into Charlotte's calf muscle.

And suddenly, like a velocoraptor, Dell swooped in from the side. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he turned her so quickly to the side that she had to hop, one foot still lifted.

Sensing trouble finally, Charlotte spun around.

"She was about to kick me, wasn't she?"

No waiting for an answer she glared at Caroline. "Just wait till I get your butt home. I'm just trying to look out ofr you, and this is the thanks I get?"

Caroline just glared at her, but there were tears forming in her eyes.

"I wanna go live with Daddy!" She demanded.

In answer, Charlotte glared at the girl and stormed out of the practice.

However, she wasn't there anymore. Cooper didn't know where she was, but wasn't about to tell Charlotte that. Caroline wasn't stupid, she knew better than to leave the building, and probably wouldn't be on a floor she wasn't familiar with. He was confident that she was around somewhere, he just didn't know where.

With a heavy sigh, though without too much surprise, Cooper left Charlotte's office. For a moment, he wandered around Charlotte's practice. It was cold, cool, professional- but nothing like 'home', his practice. He was glad for that.

Then he stopped in his tracks and stared in shock. Then he clamped a hand over his mouth so he didn't start laughing out loud.

Caroline was sitting across from Sheldon. The two were playing cards. Perhaps the smart thing to do would be to turn back around and inform Charlotte that her niece was hanging out with the shrink she hated more than Violet. But he didn't do that. He decided the best thing would be to go back to work, and then later show up at Charlotte's. Plant himself in front of her and stay until she cracked. Or something.

###################################################################

"Let me put it another way," he looked at her seriously as he sat down in front of her, letting it be known that he had no intention of leaving. "I'm here so that you can talk to me."

Silence.

Caroline was sleeping in the guest room, which only contributed to the silence.

"You haven't told me anything."

"There's a lot I don't tell you," she quipped, "for your own good."

He'd let that go.

"You care about me," he smiled, "I get that. Now," he sat back in the chair crossing his arms over his chest resolutely, "talk."

It was as if he hadn't spoken at all, wasn't there at all. Chaarlotte remained perched on the edge of the couch cushion, learning slightly forward, staring into the coffee table as if it held the secret of life there. She just sat silent and motionless as if frozen in place.

"It's my fault."

The sudden speech after such a long silence startled Cooper and he jumped slightly in surprise. He'd given up on the idea of her talking, long before now.

"This is all my fault. Every single bit of it."

"If I had been there, this never would have happened. If I made once single different choice, this would not have happened."

He knew better than to contradict her or say anything that might make her change her mind about talking.

"She was four months gone by the time anything even seemed wrong. Near five by the time they took her to the doctor, of course that's when it all came out."

"She'd had symptoms the whole while, Coop. If I'da been there, I'da seen it. Doesn't take a genius to figure out pregnancy- especially when you're a doctor. So if I'd been there, she wouldn't be going through this now. If I'da been there like I shoulda- like she said,"

"She was angry."

"She's got a right to be angry."

"Do you blame her for this?" He countered, because that was certainly what it seemed like the way charlotte had been treating Caroline.

Charlotte looked at him as if he'd lost his mind or was drooling on the furniture. "Are you nuts?"

"But you are taking this out on her. It seems like you're angry with her for something."

"You mean besides her sass-mouth attitude?"

She was angry, no, defensive.

He was silent, waiting till she realized her defensiveness did no good with him. Till she let that fall and spoke more to the core of the matter again. If she would.

"Not angry with her," she kept her voice low, as did Cooper. Caroline was asleep in the guest room. Just angry with me.

"Clearly you're upset about something, and you're taking it out on her. Is it her being here that upsets you? That Landry sent her to you away from the family?"

Charlotte looked sickened. "Drop it, Cooper,. This talk therapy you got goin' on is over. I'm sick of it. " her voice was like steel suddenly and her jaw tightened.

He sighed looking at her sadly. Why couldn't she just trust him? Confide in him? He wasn't stupid after all, he knew something was up. Finally he spoke, almost exhausted by the weight of whatever was silently weighing on her.

"Well if you're not upset with her and you won't say why, at least I know she's upset with you."

Charlotte nodded sadly, looking up from the table top and staring at the wall. "Got every right to be."

Allright review time! Not my best, but I just wanted to get that particular ball rolling, so we can move on.


	7. Chapter 7

Going through a really, really hard time right now. Decided I needed to write, since I haven't done anything with this in the better half of forever.

Caroline had been straight whining for the past five minutes.

Charlotte glanced at her in the rearview and rolled her eyes. She didn't know where her own kid had picked up whining from. She'd never whined, ever. The kid was too old to whine, too. It made her wanna smack a puppy.

"You quit that whining racket," she grumbled. "I've had my fill and then some. I don't know where on God's green earth you picked that up." She paused and added, "But it sure as hell wasn't from me."

"Hard to pick up anything from you," Caroline grumbled the words quietly, but pointedly. Charlotte heard her loud and clear, and knew exactly what she was refering to. Her accusing and sassy tone pissed Charlotte off, but what pissed her off more was knowing that Luanne had every right to her anger.

"'Scept how to ditch people," Caroline added under her breath, now glaring at the floor, or failing that, her stomach.

The truth stabbed at Charlotte. She felt choked suddenly, as if she were running out of air.

"I beg your pardon?"

Caroline cut an icy glare at Charlotte's eyes in the mirror. A glare that said, You heard me.

"Nothing," however, was her growled answer.

They drove on in silence again, finally, and Charlotte let out a breath.

"Take me to your work," Caroline demanded suddenly.

Charlotte King'd never taken well to orders. "Take me to your leader" suddenly popped to mind, which at least helped to level off some of her anger.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"Wanna go to your work." Her tone now was pouty.

"You do, every day."

"Not there," Caroline insisted. "I wana go to the hospital."

"You kidding me?" She feigned a joking, shocked tone. "No one wants to go there, Luanne. People try like hell to avoid that place."

Caroline wasn't buying it, and wasn't about to be placated or let this slide. She'd been bugging Charlotte for years to be allowed to see her work. But as a younger child, it had been a lot easier to distract her.

"You owe me," she answered back flatly.

It was like a slap to the face. Charlotte wasn't entirely sure what her daughter was refering to, but the plain truth was that she could easily be refering to any number of things- and she'd be right to.

"I gave you life," she answered back. "I don't owe you a damn thing. You better count your blessings before you start talking to me like that."

"You want me to start talking to other people?" She weilded her threat with precision.

Charlotte knew damn well then just what Luanne was talking about.

"That's gratitude for you."

Caroline shrugged as if unconcerned. "Fine." She smiled evily. "I'm sure I'll have lots of fun at that place, talking to all those people you don't like."

Her pipsqueak was relishing the thought, Charlotte could tell.

"You breathe one word, Luanna King and I will ship you back home faster than you can say jackrabbit." She locked eyes with Luanne in the mirror and her gaze was fierce.

Caroline brightened, with a genuine toothy grin. "Awesome."

Were her hands not on the stearing wheel Charlotte would have smacked herself in the forehead.

"Why the hell didn't I see that coming?" She muttered.

"That's what you wanted all this time," she added louder this time, for Luanne to hear.

"Beats living like this," Caroline answered flippantly. "Lying to every damn person I me-"

"Watch your language!" Charlotte snapped.

Caroline was silent then, and Charlotte was grateful.

After a while, driving down the familiar route to the practice, Charlotte started to feel relaxed. Until a thought of Charley popped into her head. She started thinking about how he'd wronged her child, grumbling to herself and muttering curses at him.

Thinking about it more, she spouted off on what she really wanted to tell Luanne. That her father really wasn't the saint she made him out to be, which was why more often than not, she was at Big Daddy's house than anywhere else. The kid just thought it was a coincidence.

Not a coincidence, she thought to herself, in silence this time.

"The plain truth of it is," she continued her rant, addressing the trailer bed in front of her, "that the only time your Daddy ever sent you out here to see me wilingly was when you were defective and damaged," she grumbled, glaring with angry suddenly tear filled eyes at the back of the truck in front of them. "Too ashamed to have you around, but too damn fool to be useful."

Charlotte kept on growling her angry diatribe, while she squeezed the steering wheel so hard her knuckles whitened. She ended with, "That damn asshole never changed. Only time he wanted you around was when you were his sweet lil' girl. Not when you were," she quoted him, "damaged"." when she snapped back to reality remembering that she was not alone in the car. Her anger had taken her years back and miles away from Los Angeles.

With an open mouth and stricken glance backward, the tear lined face of her daughter slammed her back to the present- hard.

"Holy hell," she breathed, feeling sorrier at that moment than she had in a long time. "Shit, I'm sorry Luanne. I didn't mean for you to hear that!"

She looked back at the road quickly, so as not to kill them both in the LA traffic, and sought the girl's gaze in the mirror.

Caroline refused to look up, and was crying openly now, sobbing.

"I didn't mean it, Luanne! God, I'm sorry. I shouldn'ta said that. I forgot you were back there."

"Damnit," she hissed, seeing her words having no effect. "I was wrong, okay? I'm sorry. I was just angry at-" Just angry. I'm sorry I took it out on you, baby. It's not true, really it's not. You know your daddy loves you."

But it was true. Charles had called to tell her he couldn't have Luanne around anymore, the neighbors were starting to talk. _Asshole_.

The more she apologized, the more damage she seemed to do. Caroline just cried harder, sobs shaking her body.

Caroline ran from Charlotte, up to Cooper's practice, and without a second thought, tears threatening to fall any moment herself, Charlotte hauled butt into her own practice, making quick tracks for Sheldon. She knew she needed to talk to someone. She'd messed up big this time, which considering her pension for huge mistakes, that was really saying something.

Charlotte barged into Sheldon's office.

"What do you do when you're really angry," she gasped eyes still wide from the horror she'd drawn out in the car, "but you're taking it out on the wrong person? When you're pissed as a box of vipers and there ain't a thing you can do about it?" She asked.

"When the mess you ma-" she stopped herself, "just..." just gets worse?"

Sheldon Wallace took Charlotte barging into his office in stride. Charlotte King wasn't a woman who asked permission, or even bothered to knock. The woman had very few boundaries when it came to others, or recognizing their boundaries or need for respect.

Charlotte glared. He must be waitng too long to give an answer.

"I presume you mean when you're angry with another person and you take it out on someone who is not that person?"

Charlotte glared at him in annoyance, like he was a fool. And was she going to have to spell it out for him? Okay, so that's clearly not it.

"Or," he held up a hand, "is it when you're really angry with yourself?"

"And you hate being angry with yourself," he continued, realizing he was definitely on the right track, "because you hate being wrong or found lacking, or having made a mistake," he continued. "Most people can't stand the thought of having made a mistake. They have a hard time forgiving themselves."

Charlotte let out a sharp sigh. It seemed as if she'd actually been holding her breath.

Well, he looked at her in surprise, that's unusual.

His experience told him it was only a matter of time before Charlotte King was forced to sucumb to the secrets that were eating her up inside. He could wait. He was a patient man, after all.


	8. Chapter 8

LOL Anyone notice in the last chapter that Caroline and Charlotte just seemingly jumped out of a moving car and got into their respective practices? Lol. Section got deleted. I was re-reading for this chapter and thought, hey wait, how'd they get from driving in traffic to...? lol. K story time! Wasn't sure about this...just an idea. If you think I should keep it this way, lemme know. If you think- oh hell, just tell me whatcha think, okay?

Caroline was headed blindly to Oceanside's birthing suite, clearly upset. The red face, tear stains and the fact that she'd clearly run up from the stairs was enough to garner notice.

Dell was the first to follow her into the room.

"Caroline, what's wrong? Are you okay?" He asked,kneeling down next to where she'd sunk down to the floor, curled around her knees.

"What happened?"

It was like he'd said, "Start sobbing. And...go!"

The response? Torrential sobs.

All he could make out clearly in words that seemed to be English instead of squeaks, were the words get and bad.

Worried, he placed a hand to her back, rubbing in a comforting way. He looked up when the door opened again, and Naomi, Violet and Cooper squeezed through the doorway at once.

They all stayed silent for a while, simply letting Caroline vent her emotions.

"Caroline, did your aunt do something to upset you?"

Cue rage.

Violet's innocent question sent Caroline from anguished sobs, to a screaming rage. She became so upset, finally scratching at her face, clawing at it, even pulling out a chunk of hair in her anguish.

"Caroline! Caroline, stop that!" Naomi insisted, kneeling down and pushing Dell aside, trying to intercept the girl's frantic hands at the same time.

"Get her away from me!" She gasped. "I hate her! I hate her!" With one final, "I hate her!" Her explanations seemed to be done.

"Caroline, who are you talking about." Naomi asked, worried she meant her.

Caroline continued her rage as if she hadn't heard.

"-Said my Daddy hates me, but she's the one that hates me. Just wants to make him look bad cuz she knows I love him more than her."

"And I am not defective!," she whispered, not sounding convinced.

Violet gasped. Unwilling to kneel on the ground at this point in her pregnancy, she simply asked from her spot next to Cooper,

"Caroline, who told you your father hates you? Who said you're defective?"

"Mama," she fumed, jaw set eyes smoldering with anger.

"You talked to your mother today?" Naomi was hopeful, this was a good thing. As far as she'd known, the girl hadn't had contact with her mother since she'd been there. The only contact she'd known her to have with her natural family, aside from Charlotte, of course, were a couple of phone calls from her father.

"No, she was talkin' to me, when she said all this. I was too mad to talk."

"You," Naomi paused judging the time, "spoke to your mother, she spoke to you about this in the car? On the way here?"

She nodded vehemently. "She said he said I was defective and that's why I'm out here, but I know it's really because she thinks I am. Mama doesn't want me out here in the first place. She never wants me to come out here."

"You think your mother didn't want you to come out here, but your father did?"

"Yeah, neither of 'em wants me," she growled.

"I'm sure that's not true, sweetie," she smiled at her again. "But before I forget, it may not be this way in your town, but in California you can't be on a cell phone in a car. It's dangerous whether it's the passenger or the driver. A distraction. And as I'm sure you've seen, traffic here is crazy enough as it is."

Caroline seemed to have calmed by then, and Naomi helped her to standing as she added brightly,

" What's important now is that your Aunt Charlotte wants you," Naomi tried to smile encouragingly, even though she wasn't at all sure that was true. She knew Charlotte hated kids. She hated everyone.

"No!" She howled. "You don't get it!"

With that,Caroline rushed out of the room.


	9. Chapter 9

Violet was trailing after Caroline, but had turned back to order Cooper to talk to Charlotte. If she couldn't figure out what was going on, maybe he could. Someone had to. This kid was messed up. Violet didn't want to lay the blame entirely on Charlotte, but she couldn't be helping the situation any.

His response?

"You think I haven't tried? Been trying? Charlotte avoids me like the plague. She won't look at me, won't talk to me, she won't even take my calls!"

Okay, she thought, so it's up to me. Wonderful. She won't talk to her boyfriend, how the heck am I going to get her to open up to me?

This was why she was no where in sight or earshot to see what happened next.

As Caroline rounded the corner headed to the elevators to evacute the premesis and go anywhere, preferably away, somewhere she could call her Uncle Duke to come rescue her, she nearly rammed into Dell.

Her mouth lit into a smile that reflected in her eyes before she could stop herself.

"Hi," she beamed.

Dell smiled back. "This," he nodded to the large tray of food in his left hand, "is for you."

When she then looked happier about that then seeing him, Dell had to admit he felt a little...well just a little bit disappointed. Not that he wanted a little kid interested in him, but it was always nice to be liked.

He knew for a fact that when Caroline King wasn't sleeping (which was often) she was eating. And that were she ever angry with him, he could fix it with food.

"Not sure if anyone else here knows that," he muttered aloud.

Then, embarassed he'd actually voiced his thoughts he added in a rush, "These are sent from the fourth floor. Or, your Aunt Charlotte." He winked at her, "Your aunt would be my guess. Unless Dr. Wallace is trying to woo you as a patient."

Caroline looked at him then with confusion, which changed to indignation and still present rage.

"She can't bribe me!" She insisted, her voice shrill. "This doesn't make up for what she said!"

"I'm not a doctor like she is, but I'm not stupid!"

Dell felt sorry for her. Her anger was giving way to sadness, the stoic tone replaced with a quaver.

"I know a bribe when I see one," she continued, cheeks redding in outrage, "and it's not going to work. She owes me a big time apology. She owes me 12 years of apologies! "

"Uh," Dell fumbled for words, this certainly not being the reaction he'd anticipated. "What-" he tried to stall for time, taking it all in as he placed the now rejected food on the desk.

"She's trying to bribe you?"

He was still confused. And Caroline was looking at him the way Charlotte King often did- when she looked at him at all, with exasperation and like he was an idiot. Though, it did help to know that she also looked at just about everyone that way.

Dell thought back on what she'd been screaming about five minutes earlier.

"Doesn't make up for what she said?" He repeated the words, trying them out.

Caroline rolled her eyes and sighed audibly, one hand on her hip, completely annoyed with him and his inability to get whatever she wasn't saying. He laughed to himself. Just like Charlotte King. It wasn't like he was telpathic, after all.

Then his jaw dropped as he stared at Caroline. If he hadn't already placed the tray of food in a safe location, he would have dropped it as well.

"Oh my God."

Okay ladies n' gents! Review time. Also, let me know what you think of the shorter chapters. You know I don't usually go for them, but I've got to admit, they're not too bad. ;)


	10. Chapter 10

Dell's mouth stayed open as he stared at Caroline King in disbelief.

"Finally someone gets it!" She cried. "Oh my gosh, I thought you guys were never going to figure it out."

A smile lit her entire face as she hopped up and down with giddiness. After a few moments of giggling, she sighed contentedly, slumped over with relief that her secret had been unburdened from her.

Then, with sudden alarm she straighten and pointed a finger at Dell, worry now lining her previously blissful face. "But you can't say I told you," she instructed him. "You can't say I told," she insisted. "I didn't. I didn't say anything."

…...This is a line break, let's see if FF allows it...

"You can't keep doing this. It's wrong."

"You can't say one thing and do antother and think that's okay. You're just being downright selfish. Maybe in some recess of your mind you think you're actually being professional, setting a good example, but it's a God-damn lie. You can come up with all the excuses in the book to tell yourself that you're doing the right thing, but you're just lying to yourself. Lying to yourself, setting a sorry-ass example, and setting yourself up for failure."

"What did you think was going to happen anyway? This isn't Family Ties or the Brady Bunch. You dropped the ball, pure and simple, and now look what a mess you're in. Problem is, this doesn't just affect you. You went and screwed up that girl's life because you were selfish, and now you're taking it out on her because you feel like crap. What happened to her is your own damn fault. And you can whine and bitch and cry-baby about it all you want, but that's not gonna change a damn thing. You need to suck it up and apologize proper. You been doing this child a disservice for years. Now you get a chance to make it all up and look what a mess you've made of that. All because you're afraid and ashamed. That child has you pegged right. You are flat out ashamed of her when you oughta be ashamed of yourself. You're a god-damn coward, and you make me sick."

"Charlotte?"

At the sound of Cooper's voice and the knock on her office door, Charlotte jumped and gave a cry of shock. Hand to her chest, she took a couple of deep breaths, made sure there was no trace of tears, then looked away from the mirror to the door.

"Come on in, Coop," she answered, none too pleased with herself.

By the time he walked in she'd sunk down on her couch, too drained to put on any sort of facade of strength or even busyness.

Cooper looked at her with those puppy dog eyes of his full of concern, and his cute forehead lined in worry.

Like he should be worried about me, she scoffed. If he knew, if he knew the last thing he'd be feeling is worry for me. And I don't deserve the worry.

"What's going on?"

Then before she could stop herself tears were streaming down her face and she felt choked.

"It's my fault!" She cried. "It's all my fault!"

"What is?"

"Her getting' knocked up, getting' raped, it's my fault- mine!"

"Charlotte," he put a hand on her shoulder, his voice gentle, loving as if she deserved compassion. "None of this is my fault."

"It is!" She insisted. "All of it, it's all my fault! If you knew" she gasped, "if you just-"

She bit her lips and looked up at the ceiling, breathing deep and forcing the tears to retreat and her lack of control to stop.

She shook her head and stood up making a desperate attempt to flee.

"I can't," she gasped again, "I can't talk about this. I can't talk to you about this."

Cooper looked at her sadly.

"Is there someone you can talk to?"

"There's someone I should talk to," she answered, more for herself than for him.

"Good. When you're ready to talk, or if you just need a shoulder to lean into," he smiled. "That's what I'm here for."

She held the door open for him, and taking his cue, though not happy about it, he made for the door.

Then, remembering Violet, he stopped.

"Uh, Charlotte," he paused trying to think of the words. "Caroline...she needs to talk to someone," he began haltingly, hesitantly, knowing his next words would hurt. "About her rape. She needs to talk to someone about it, get professional help, Char. She needs it. She-"

Charlotte sighed. He was right. She knew he was right. As much as she wanted to be Luanne's savior, it wasn't going to happen, and even if it did, she knew she couldn't give the kind of help that her baby needed.

"Fine," she answered in a whisper. "Let her talk to Violet."

He smiled at her, proud of her, then the smile became apologetic.

"She already is."

Charlotte bit her lip and closed her eyes tightly, barely able to contain her tears. She nodded dumbly in answer, then managed to croak out, "Leave now."

She slammed the door behind him, then ran to the couch to throw her face into a cushion to muffle her screams and sobs.

Ooh, just wait till you see what happens next! I can hardly wait and I know already lol. Okay you lurkers,ya need to review. Let's go. Stop readin' and bein' lazy. Get to it! That's right, I mean you!


	11. Chapter 11

Get a snack, this is pretty wordy. Not my fault. Charlotte just kept going on and on and on, and just when I thought she'd finally shut up so I could end the chapter- she kept jaw yappin'. This was going to be in public btw! lol. Changed that. And I did try to shorten it, you can probably tell where. Had to get this outta the way, that's all. It's not too bad is it? It's admittedly rushed. Can you tell I wanna get to the next chapter? lol!

Caroline was crabbier and poutier than usual when they got home.

"I know you have a million reasons to be angry, Luanne, but can you tell me why you're upset."

She glared at Charlotte like she wanted to kill her.

"Did Violet Turner try to make you talk about that son-of-a-bitch?"

Caroline glared at the wall. She had, and she'd hated every minute of it, refusing to answer. Sure she was mad about that, but not as mad as about other things. Things that mattered. People that mattered.

She didn't answer.

"Luanne, talk to me! Tell me why you're upset."

She was standing in front of Caroline, who was sitting on the couch, kicking her heels against it and fuming.

Cooper had offered to bring dinner over, but as Charlotte knew the full situation and he didn't, she'd declined.

With one strong kick to the couch, Caroline answered.

"You don't want me, and Daddy doesn't want me either. You're ashamed of me and so is he."

"Luanne, you wanna talk to me about what happened? What that thing did to you?"

Caroline looked at Charlotte as if she were crazy.

"No!" She snapped. "I don't wanna talk about it! I have bigger problems, like a Mama who hates me. She screamed. "Haven't you noticed how mad I been since I got here? It ain't all because o' this," she jabbed at her stomach. "I wanna know why you left me, why you're ashamed of me! Before I thought it was just cuz I got pregnant, but now I realize it's more than that. If you weren't ashamed of me I'd have been living with you all these years!"

Charlotte staggered backward at the demand. Everything in Charlotte, every emotion and doubt seemed to fall then.

The truth. Crap.

"I was trying to do what was best for you, Luanne. You think it didn't break my heart to leave you?"

"Why would I think any other way? You've never said anything about it."

True enough. She'd never talked about it. And that was because it made Charlotte realize she'd done no better for her flesh and blood than one giving their child up for adoption. It hit her now that all the weekends, the summers and holidays didn't make up for that. They weren't enough. She had abandoned her child for a career.

"I was in school, Luanne, and I knew I wanted a better life for me, and you, than what my options would be without my being a doctor. I was alone, Luanne. Your Daddy left me for another woman, a woman who didn't spend all her time elbow deep in blood n' guts. A woman who' be the traditional wife." She swallowed and shook her head. "I could never be that, baby. I need more to be happy than making someone's dinner and cleaning."

"But your Daddy did right by you, after I told him. He said maybe he and I weren't meant to be, but that he still had a place in his heart for me, and he wanted to be a part of your life."

"You can't be a resident and a single mom. I was working 80 hours a week, and could be called in at a moment's notice. You'd have grown up being raised by college and high school baby sitters that didn't know the first thing about lookin' after a child other than the fact they'd get some shopping money out of it.

"I took a leave and came back home. I stayed with you at Big Daddy's house for a good three months after you were born. Decorating your room, buying you clothes, getting' your college fund set up."

"I had money, Luanne, I just didn't have time. I wanted you to grow up around where I grew up, where people will give the shirt off their back, and pitch in to help a neighbor. I don't know if you've noticed, but that kind of kindness is hard to find. But back home? That's all there was. Folks may have their problems but they are nicer than anywhere else. I knew that's where I wanted you to grow up."

"I also knew I'd never get ahead as a doctor there, not the way I could out here. Sure I could still be a doctor, but I'd get a pat on the head and a 'honey, why don't you just leave that to us?' from the good ol' boy doctors who practictly run the world down there."

"In terms of career and opportunity, this place beats Alabama all hollow. So you see you got your pros and cons. The schools here are awful, but the money's good and the weather ain't near so humid."

Caroline was staring, unmoved by Charlotte's speech.

"I thought I could come back and raise you and be a doctor, once I got settled, got to a place I wouldn't have to work a million hours a week. But like I said, the opportunities weren't that great for me. I wanted to play with the big boys, and back home was having none of it. I finally found a place that let me do it. About five years ago I got this position here in LA, as Chief of Staff."

Caroline remembered. Mama'd come home and they'd all planned a big party for her. Charlotte'd kept her on her lap the whole night. She said what she was thinking.

"Everybody back home knew I was yours. You weren't ashamed to be my mama then. Why are you ashamed now?"

Charlotte closed her eyes. I'm not ashamed. I was just afraid you'd ruin my image as a ballsy chick.

"I'm not ashamed of you, Luanne. I love you, you're my baby. And maybe I haven't been showin' you that since you been here, but I do love you."

"Why don't you act like it?"

And there it was. The only thing Charlotte could say now was the truth.

"I'm selfish, Luanne. I was doing what was best for you in the beginning. And when I got that job in LA, I thought you and me could finally get settled. So I was going to set in with work, you'd finish up the school year, then come live with me and go to one of the good private schools."

She sighed. "But I didn't realize how much being Chief would take out of me. I started to think of it during med school and internship. I had to change how I was, because people thought I was a push over. I was too nice to handle being a doctor in a big city. But that's what I wanted. But I was getting looked over time and again for placements and positions. I finally got up the guts to ask why. People were always saying they just didn't think I could handle it, that I was too nice."

She made a face. "Didn't know you could be too nice. So I transferred and started changing my tune. Suddenly I was a bitch, but I also became the go-to person, the woman who could get things done- and I liked that."

"So, you changed who you were...to be popular?" She raised an eyebrow and looked at Charlotte with distain.

Damn. Tellin' the kid to be herself is gonna do me in here.

"In a way. But it was only until I got a foothold, got a steady position where I could call the shots. Cuz if I could call the shots, I'd get to say how many hours a week I worked, so I could be home more with you."

"But back to being Chief. By then my 'bitch-mode' had been turned on for so long it's like I couldn't turn it off. It changed me, Luanne. At the hospital, when I realized that, I figured hell, I've got this good position, now I can go back to being myself. So, I did. Or, I tried."

"I let the nurses have leave. I was understanding with the other doctors. People were coming to me with their problems for once, instead of being afraid of me. I actually got to be friends with some of them."

She sighed. I miss having friends.

"I thought everything was going great. Until I got called in to the board and was chewed out for 'granting favors' being to lenient and affecting overall productivity. They said you can't be a friend and be a boss too, Dr. King. I'm afraid you're going to have to change your ways, go back to being the doctor that we hired for this job, or you will have to start looking for a position elsewhere."

"Can you believe that?" She fumed. "So I had to go back to being the bitch. I decided it wasn't a good time for you to come up, it would just be one more thing against me. Something that made me soft. Chiefs of Staff don't even get married, let alone have kids. Their job is their ," she grumbled.

"I didn't want you to see me like this, Luanne. You know this isn't who I am."

"I was afraid I'd lose my job, Luanne, that's the truth. Before I'd been too busy to raise you right, but now I had a job that gave me time to be human- but I couldn't be. I couldn't even be me. And it was either bring you here, lose my job and have to go back to being a single mama with 80 hour work weeks, or let you stay put and have a job where I could schedule my own time, fly in at the drop of a hat to see you."

Caroline's expression hadn't changed.

"You're ashamed of me," she repeated, dead-pan.

Charlotte raised her eyes heavenward. "I thought I just explained that."

"You did," Caroline answered. "You just explained why you're ashamed of me."

"I am not ashamed of you."

"If that's true, you wouldn't have a problem with everyone here knowing I'm your daughter."

"Cooper doesn't even know that," Charlotte muttered.

"Who?"

"Cooper. He's my boyfriend."

Caroline's eyebrows raised in surprise. "I didn't know that."

"Now you know."

"So, you can make time for a boyfriend but not for me?"

Crap.

"You say you did this for me, Mama, but it sounds like you're just worried about what people think. You say you're doing what's best for me, but what's best for me is to have my mama. A mama who's not ashamed of her daughter, is proud to let everyone she knows know that she has one."

"Now I know why you never took me to your work here, unless it was just to see your office for five minutes or go eat by myself in the cafeteria. Guess I always knew, but I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't see you acting one way towards me at home and another here."

Caroline's face was so red it was nearly purple.

"Do you know how bad it hurt to get here and hear you tell me how sorry you were and go on and on about how much you love me- then say, "If you see anyone you tell them I'm your Aunt Charlotte?"

"Do you?"

Charlotte sighed. This was supposed to fix this. I open my mouth and spill my guts to her, and it's all for nothing. Might as well have just kept my damn trap shut.

Don't mean to gloat, but it is awesome to know what's coming up. :) And, I wouldn't have a problem with getting only a few reviews if only a few people were reading. But A LOT of y'all are as in several hundred of you per chapter!, so... I may do what someone suggested in jest and hold the next chapter hostage till I'm happy with the reviews. And this chap was pretty hard core, getting to the heart of the issue finally.


	12. Chapter 12

Charlotte was toying with the lone pen in her crystal pencil holder, not sure if she was in a crap mood, or just lazy. All she knew was she'd be content to sit there all day.

"_It's always easier, safer and hurts less to be angry than be sad or afraid."_

Violet Turner's words echoed in her head. The words that woke Charlotte King from sleep, a dream in which she'd sought Violet out to speak to her.

She and the kid had eventually come to an impass, more from exhaustion than any resolution. Luanne wasn't hearing any of Charlotte's reasoning, truth or apologies. But when she started crying and sobbed,

"If you'd taken me home with you this woulda never happened! It never woulda!"

Charlotte felt as if she'd been punched in the stomach as her child voiced a statement of truth that echoed her own opinion. That's when she knew for sure it was true, not just her own guilt talking.

Caroline's rape was Charlotte's fault. If Charlotte had brought her to LA like she was supposed to, put her into a private school, she never would have been raped by her teacher in Alabama. Simple as that. If Charlotte had been the one taking care of Luanne instead of her father, none of this would have happened. None of it.

She sighed audibly.

Then she glanced over at her pint sized duplicate, Cooper last words to her echoing. "She needs to talk to someone..." Before she blamed Charlotte, Caroline had been saying this was all her fault.

With a lazy sigh she asked, "What did you mean?"

Caroline was curled up on the small couch across from her, napping. Like an angry cat, she opened one eye and glared with it. "Huh?"

"Before yesterday, you been saying this was your fault."

Caroline's mouth pukered in disgust as she pushed herself up to a seated position. "I meant, it was your fault,"she answered back. "And in case you think I didn't mean it, I definitely meant when I said you're ashamed of me." Then with a glare, she pushed herself up to standing, and walked out of Charlotte's office.

"Damn it."

_So much for getting her to talk to me about what that asshole did._

"She knows how to push your buttons."

Charlotte snapped to attention, seeing Sheldon standing in the open doorway Caroline had just vacated, with a self-rightious laughing expression on his face.

"How long you been standing there, Wallace?" She demanded.

"I'm assuming that Caroline has admitted to feeling at fault for her rape?" He asked the question in a way that was more statement than anything else. "You bringing it up when she isn't ready to talk about it, and the fastest way to shut you up with what you gave her was to turn the blame to you. To throw you off," he explained, "and annoy you."

He gave a half grin. "How'm I doing so far?"

Charlotte scoffed. "You're doin' it," she answered, meaning 'you're annoying me'.

"Don't you have work to do?"

He nodded, but his eyes sparkled in that damning way that said, ha ha, I'm right!

"I hate you right now," she said the words in the silence of his absence, but Charlotte was looking at her own reflection in her computer screen as she said it.

"Keeping all this inside, isn't good for you."

She looked up, surprised he was still there.

He walked into her office.

"I mean," Sheldon began as he stepped towards her, "taking care of someone who has suffered a severe trauma is a very difficult task, even for those who are trained in just that. Add pregnancy on top of that, your own likely, though irrational guilt over her being raped and your inability to prevent it-"

"Stop talkin'." How he knew that was just creepy.

"Mothers often blame themselves when their child is victimized," he added, exactly as if he'd heard her thoughts.

It took a moment for Charlotte to process Sheldon's last statement.

Charlotte froze, a chill coming over her.

"What?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"I think you heard me."

She swallowed a sudden lump in her throat. Then, breathless turned her head to look him in the eye. "Who told you that?"

He gave a small shrug.

"It's not that difficult to figure out, frankly."

"Who told you?" She repeated.

"No one. No one had to."

Charlotte rose from her chair. _This is the last thing I need right now. I'm still trying to figure out this mess and-_

"Who else knows?" She hissed, her eyes narrowing with the veiled threat of sudden inflictable pain.

"No one, so far as I can tell," he answered. "Which is pretty surprising considering-"

"Everyone seems to think Caroline, er," he corrected to what he'd heard Charlotte call her, "Luanne's mother abandoned her, sent her away. But Luanne's mother sent _for_ her, to get her out of a bad place. To protect her."

Charlotte swallowed again forcing tears back with sheer will alone.

"Get out," she growled. "And don't you speak to anyone about this, you hear? Not a single person."


	13. Chapter 13

"Hey, Caroline?"

Caroline stopped and turned around.

Sam Bennett was standing behind her carrying a stack of files and paper work.

"Would you mind taking some of these?" He motioned to the stack with a nod of his head, as both hands were holding onto said stack of papers.

Wordlessly Caroline nodded, walking back to Sam and taking half the stack in her arms. She walked after Sam as he lead the way to his office.

"Just some old files, medical journals, stuff I'm moving around," he explained, as he depositied his pile on the side of his desk.

Caroline put her smaller pile of papers and magzines next to his.

"Thank you." He smiled.

She nodded in answer and turned to leave.

"Actually," his voice stopped her, "if you wouldn't mind, that is if you're not doing anything else at the moment," he added, "this is just some stuff for me to work on when I get around to it. I've got time to sort through some of these now, but it might go faster if I had some help." He smiled winningly at her.

Caroline blushed, and looked down at the floor, rocking on her feet slightly in the squirmy embarrassed way that some kids do. "Um...sure," she answered. Smiling at him shyly, then looking away still red-faced.

Sam laughed outright. A kid younger than his own daughter having a crush on him was just wrong, but still funny.

"Okay then, how about you start by taking all the medical journals, the magazines," he explained, "and put them all in one pile. Then maybe put them on that shelf over there when you've found them all?" He asked, pointing to a partially emptied shelf by the window.

"Okay," she agreed easily, and began sifting through her stack for magazines.

For a few minutes they worked in silence, the only sounds being the rifling of paper, and the light thud of periodicals.

In the silence, Caroline stopped still, holding a paper in her hand. She held stock-still, frozen. Then with dread, she glanced over at Sam Bennett. Her mouth fell open, and though she was still, her breathing became shallow. She glanced at the window, the office empty of anyone but them.

Still open mouthed and silent she began shaking her head.

"No," she whispered, then cleared her throat. "No, I can't do this." Her head kept shaking of it's own accord.

Quickly she looked behind her at the open door. For a moment she seemed relieved, but she turned back to Sam as she put down the paper in her hand and began backing away from him.

"I'm sorry, " she breathed, "but I can't- I can't help you."

She kept backing away until she bumped into the door frame.

Sam watched her, confused as she turned in the door way and ran down the hall.

But she didn't get far. Five steps out of Sam's office she ran head-long into Pete.

"Hey!" He laughed. "Where are you going in such a hurry?

He was holding onto Caroline's shoulder's, steadying her from their collision.

She looked at him open mouthed. "Let- let me go," she gasped.

Pete looked her in the eyes. "I'm sorry I ran into you," he began, then stopped short, observing aloud, "You're shaking. Are you-"

"I didn't do anything,"she panted, "Just, just lemme go. I haveta go." She was pulling away from him, and so with som trepidation, he did as she asked.

Once released, Pete watched her back down the hall away from him, not taking her eyes from him. He shrugged, then walked back to Sam's office.

"What'd she do, steal from you or something?"

Sam held his hands up. "Beats me. Just hightailed it outta here a minute ago."

"I know," Pete nodded, "I ran into her in the hall. She looked guilty. Her eyes were dilated," he noted, "and she was shaking. Breathing with her mouth open."

Sam's face showed his worry. "That's not good," he answered.

"No," Pete shook his head in agreement this time, "no, I don't think it is."

"Just the person I was looking for!"

Caroline gave a half scream as Dell clapped her on the shoulder.

"Sorry," he cringed and smiled apologetically. "Didn't mean to scare you."

She looked at him wide-eyed. "Eew, get away from me," she moaned.

"But I just-"

She moaned again, like a sob, and shook her head, "Leave me alone," she begged.

Free from him, she half ran to the elevators.

"Caroline!" Cooper hurried out of his office as he saw Caroline waiting for the elevator. "I've got reservations for me, you and your Aunt to go to"

"No!" She screamed. Hands over her ears, eyes cinched tight. "No!" Just get away from me!" She cried, "get away! Don't touch me!"

Cooper stared in shock as Caroline raked her fiingers across her bare arms, then through her hair with such force and violence he was surprised she didn't rip chunks of it out.

She moaned and whimpered like a wounded puppy for a moment, before turning from the elevator and fleeing down the stairs.

She was jerking Charlotte office key out of her pocket before she'd even reached the landing. For the moment she was grateful her mother was away at the hospital.

She pushed the stairwell door open, and not caring if anyone saw her or not, though truthfully it would have been difficult to see anyone through the blur of tears in her eyes.

Frantically, she fumbled with the key in the lock. She pushed the door open, then leaned against it till it shut. Quickly, she locked the door from the inside, then set about dragging a chair to place in front of it, as well as doing the same for the other adjoining office door. Not because these chairs would necessarily deter anyone from entering (she made sure all access doors were locked) but the chairs provided extra security. She'd hear the doors being unlocked, and the chairs being moved. That would give her time to get away, possibly.

Caroline dragged the last chair quickly to the closet, placed it in front of it a bit, then closed herself in, locking the door from the inside.

As soon as this was done, Caroline crouched in the darkness, curling into a ball. Then she lay on the floor like that, shaking in terror, and gasping as tears rolled silently down her cheeks.

Okay do you guys get that or was it too obscure?


	14. Chapter 14

"What the hell are you doing in there?"

Caroline jumped at the noise. She was confused that her eyes met a plank floor and shoes. For a disoriented moment, she wondered where in the world she was. Then she remembered. And then she remembered why.

"You know you scared the crap outta that practice? They didn't know where you were. Probably thought you jumped outta a window or something. Had to call me to come find you!"

"What the hell are you doing in my closet? And why did you half baracade the doors in here?"

"I have a board meeting to get ready for," she warned, "you better get to explainin' and get your behind outta there!"

Without even looking at Charlotte, Caroline began to sob, loudly.

"Aw, crap! Hormones!" Charlotte hissed in annoyance and jumped back.

At the sound of Cooper laughing behind her, she turned around with a questioning look.

"They're not contageous," he smiled then laughed again as the image of Charlotte King jumping back in fear as if from a striking snake, replayed in his head.

"That was funny."

She glared at him. "All right, I found her."

"We found her," he corrected.

"Whatever, you done your job. Now get out." Admittedly, Charlotte couldn't get Sheldon out of her head. If Sheldon's pea-brain could figure it out, she reasoned, then Cooper probably already knew. But the probably gave her hope. Still, Charlotte feared that the closer he were to her, the sooner he'd find out, or figure it out. And she sure wasn't ready for that. Not the way her kid was carrying on.

As Caroline sobbed, Charlotte announced frankly, "Quit your blubberin' an' apologize to Dr. Freedman for disrupting his work to come find you. And for makin' everyone in that practice of his worry needlessly about your crazy ass."

Cooper winced. "Char," he whispered hoping his warning tone would convey the words he couldn't say in front of the kid.

"Get him away from me!" She screamed. "I don't want any of them anywhere near me!"

Shocked out of her anger at her daughter, Charlotte wheeled on Cooper. "What'd you do to her?"

"Nothing," he answered. He'd already explained that Caroline had gone missing shortly after he'd tried to tell her he'd gotten the three of them tickets to

Charlotte turned back to Caroline, who was curled in a ball, huddled, arms around her knees.

"Then what'd you do to him?" She countered.

"Nothing."

When a glance at Cooper confirmed the truth of Caroline's statement, Charlotte just stared at her child and asked, "Then what the hell is wrong with you?"

Cooper put a hand to his forehead, pained by Charlotte's lack of discretion. He could see now why Caroline hadn't spoken to Charlotte about being raped, if this was the way that Charlotte behaved towards her on a daily basis.

But he had a luxery that Charlotte didn't. After comparing notes with everyone else in the practice about Caroline's behavior that day, or, as it were, reactions to the men in the practice, he sought out Violet's councel. He knew now why Caroline had responded to him the way that she did, and seeing her baracaded and hiding in a closet now, only cemented that. But Charlotte didn't know. She'd blown off his explainations and most especially the advice from Violet.

"Get him away from me!" She repeated, retreating further into the depths of the narrow closet, glaring outward at no one in particular. "I don't wanna be around him or anyone else!"

With a gasp of breath she added quickly, "This isn't my fault! I didn't do anything wrong! This isn't my fault!"

Charlotte gave Cooper a look that said as clearly as words, What the hell is she talking about?

"You don't want me," she insisted, livid, "Daddy doesn't want me,"

Charlotte looked frantically at Cooper. "You better go now," she hissed to him, afraid of what else Caroline could spew out in her state of crazy.

But Cooper didn't move.

"Anna doesn't want me," she continued. "They sent me out here to you, and you don't want me," she reiterated her prior point. "And Duke n' Landry were all angry at first, but now after, they don't even wanna look at me! Grandmama said it's improper, and I sure couldn't stay with her."And being all like this is my fault," she groweled. "That's probably why you're being such a bitch to me, and mad cuz I'm not as smart as you. Cuz if I were this never woulda happened at all, I bet." she sulked.

Cooper's mouth dropped open and he stared wide-eyed, waiting for Charlotte to kill her niece.

But Charlotte barely heard the insult. All that kept repeating in her head were all the times she'd heard Caroline say, "This is my fault." And she'd never questioned. Never asked her to elaborate, just dismissed it as untrue and left it at that.

"And maybe it is all my fault," she conceded, "but you all don't have to be so mean about it. How'm I supposed to know any better? I'm just a kid an doin' what everyone always told me to do, do as you're told. I did," she insisted.

Charlotte stood, speechless. The thought of Luanne keeping her secrets long gone. Here, Caroline had been angry with herself and lashing out, the same way that Charlotte had been. Though clearly, clearly for different reasons.

"Luanne," she began, not even sure of what to say. This was as much as she'd heard about the rape from her girl's own mouth.

Finally, realizing she had no more words, was struck dumb by the sudden horror that Luanne really believed she was at fault for her own rape.

Without another word to either Caroline or Cooper, Charlotte turned on her heel and walked numbly out of her office.

"I'm a horrible mother," she whispered, shaking her head at her own behavior.

Someone really should have warned me about all the C names! Lol.


	15. Chapter 15

She walked out of the office, and kept walking feeling numb, socked in the gut and out of touch. She saw nothing, she heard nothing. She just knew that she had to keep moving, had to get away before she lost it. Mindlessly, on autopilot, she walked to her car, without so much as a word as to what to do with Caroline, trusting that Cooper or someone would take care of her, and if nothing else that a 12 year old can take care of themselves, she drove to the hospital. All the while trying not to think, yet feeling pummeled by her emotions like she was taking a beating. It wasn't until she got back to her office at the hospital, a place where she was still in control, a place where she was in control, that she broke down.

If she was going to be adult about this, if she was going to be in control of the situation as she needed to be, she was going to need more help right now than Caroline did. She needed help so that she could help in return. She wasn't ready for Violet, but, she reasoned, Cooper spent enough time with that woman to pick up a few things. And wasn't Cooper a pediatrician? He knew about kids, and child abuse. Hopefully the rape of a child would fit in there somewhere in his odd body of knowledge.

"Cooper," she spoke immediately as the ringing stopped. "I need you."

"Caroline, what are you doing in here?"

Naomi smiled when she saw Caroline, but was truly surprised to see her in a patient room.

Caroline gasped, jumped up from the patient table she was sitting on and put both hands behind her back.

She laughed. "What do you have behind your back?"

She was smiling, truly curious.

"Nothing," she insisted giving a plastered smile.

Naomi squinted in doubt. "Caroline," she paused, "what are you doing in here?"

"Nothing."

She stepped into the room, slightly more serious now. "What do you have behind your back? What are you hiding?"

Caroline's cheeks were turning red. Naomi recognized the look now. It was guilt and fear, one she'd seen often on a young Maya.

"Caroline," she put on her "Mama" voice, and spoke slowly, distinctly and with the 'you'd better tell me the truth' tone, "what do you have behind your back?"

Clearly the King girl was no stranger to this tone. She immediately looked all the more guilty and contrite.

"Nothing," she insisted again, starting to back towards the wall, concealing whatever it was behind her back. Naomi knew she was praying she'd drop the issue. She held a smile in check, remembering her own misbehaviors.

"Caroline." Naomi drew out the name and emphasized the first and last syllable, the way her mother would do- though she'd simply accent her second syllable.

Caroline bit her lower lip and her nostrils flared with barely concealed emotion as she quickly blinked to hold back tears.

"I can wait here all day," she lied, knowing that the only other strategy the girl had was to drag this out until Naomi was tired of it.

Silence.

"Luanne Caroline King, tell me this instant what you have behind your back!"

Caroline's lower lip stuck out as she shook her head. "Please just leave, Dr. Bennett," she begged.

"I absolutely will not, especially since I get the distinct impression that you're doing something in here that you should not be doing. "

"Please, Dr. Bennett! I wasn't doing anything!"

"Are you going to keep lying to me? You're only making it worse."

"You won't understand!" She insisted. "I promise I wasn't doing anything bad like what you think, not that I know what you were thinking," she added in a rush, "but I promise it wasn't that bad and I won't do it again, and you don't have to worry or anything cuz, um, you don't. And I don't have anything bad behind my back, not like a bomb or anything."

Naomi took slow, small steps towards Caroline, who was already backed as far as she could against the far wall.

She glanced at the floor and did a double take.

"Why is there blood on the floor?" She asked. "Is that your blood? Did you hurt yourself?"

In one step she was at Caroline's side, grabbing her arm and turning her to examine her.

"I'm fine! I wasn't doing anything wrong! You just startled me," she insisted, "I didn't think anyone was going to be in here!"

As she lifted Caroline's arm she saw blood trickling down it.

"What did you do?"

Caroline kept her other arm far out and away.

"You wouldn't understand, I'm fine. Just leave it alone. I don't want to be a bother, I just-"

Naomi deftly grabbed Caroline's other arm, forcing her closed fist open.

She held the bloodied razor blade up, staring at it in shock, before turning to Caroline.

"You did this to _yourself_?" Her voice was shrill in disbelief. "What were you thinking? Why would you do something like that?"

As she stared at Caroline in shock another thought occurred to her.

"Were you trying to kill yourself?"

Caroline rolled her eyes, then looked away sharply as if expecting to be hit. "No."

"Then what in the world would possess you to take a razor blade to your arm?"

She examined the cut more closely, and noticed then that Caroline had scratch marks running from the tip of her forehead to her temples, as well as scratches on both arms- many deep enough to have drawn blood.

Instead of anger now, Naomi only felt a deep saddness for this child, who obviously was not getting the care she needed.

"Why would you do this to yourself, Caroline?"

"I told you, you wouldn't understand. You won't get it."

"Well, I'll get you fixed up, put a little something on that and those scratches so they won't hurt."

"No," Caroline's answer was an insistent sullen growl.

"Caroline, this is a deep cut, and your scratches, I'll just put something over them to numb them and some anti-biotic ointment."

"No!" She answered again. "I don't want anything on them. I want them to hurt."

Naomi got the distinct impression that this was not the first time Caroline had done such a thing to herself.

"Why would you want to hurt yourself?" She asked her.

Caroline simply looked away, yet Naomi saw nothing but anger and sadness in her.

"Well, I'm definitely going to let your aunt know about this," she began, "so-"

"No!" Caroline's voice was frantic, eyes wide with fear.

"No," she repeated, more softly, "Then she'll just think there's something else wrong with me."

"Caroline, your aunt wants to help you."

"No," tears were forming again, "she doesn't! She can barely stand to look at me! She's ashamed of me, just like everyone else. And she's mad that I let this happen, just like everyone else. It's my fault and everyone's mad at me for it!"

Naomi was dumbstruck for a moment. Caroline seemed to genuinely believe what she was saying.

"Honey," her voice was soft, "what happened to you is not your fault."

"Yes it is." She sounded utterly convinced. "Sometimes I think it's not, I wish it wasn't, but it is. It's all my fault."

Naomi put the razor blade down, and leaned back against the wall with Caroline, taking her other hand in hers as well.  
"Oh, Caroline, what that man did to you," she shook her head, "you couldn't have stopped that. It isn't your fault, sweetie. Not at all."

Caroline shook her head.

"Hasn't your mother spoken to you about what happened?"

She shook her head. "When she came to get me the first thing she said was, "Don't talk about it. I don't wanna hear about it."

Naomi's heart felt like it was breaking. "Well, what about the rest of your family? What happened when they found out? Did you tell them?"

"I had to," she sniffled, "they just yelled. Daddy got real mad and yelled at me for not telling before, and how come I let this happen."

"You let this happen?" Naomi repeated the idea aloud, absolutely sickened.

"And No one took you to talk to someone?"

Another head shake in response.

"You never talked to anyone, told anyone what really happened, what you're feeling?"

"I tried, but no one wanted to hear it," Caroline whispered. "Just said to forget about it. Or that I made my bed, so I haveta lie in it."

"Who could say something like that?"

Naomi was appauled, horrified by such a heartless response. Maybe Charlotte King wasn't this child's biggest problem after all.

When Caroline started sniffing next to her, Naomi gathered her in her arms. She felt the girl's resolve, resistance at first, then physically felt her cave in. As Naomi held her, Caroline tried her best to cry with control.

Warning- the next chapter or so may be graphic, and also unfortunately, an accurate if horrible response to childhood rape. Not everyone responds this way, but you'll notice bits that are quite common when this topic is brought up. Also no, I have no idea why the line breaks are no longer working. I've tried everything. It's annoying.


	16. Chapter 16

NOT A GRAPHIC cHAPTER. This actually came from a dream I had last night. Kinda weird to dream about one of your own stories, I'll tell you that. The hair-do looked cool in my opinion, if it had been done well. Imagine a bob haircut, but with one side cut at a 45 degree angle, with the other side straight across like a normal bobbed haircut.

After about fifteen minutes, Caroline had calmed down, and actually seemed relaxed for once. Naomi talked to her, and after that it was decided to be time for food by the both of them.

Naomi was leading Caroline to the kitchen as she said, "You will need to talk to Violet, Dr. Turner," she explained. "This isn't a healthy way to vet your emotions. You need to find another way to express yourself."

"No thank you," Caroline answered in a genuiniely sweet and civil voice.

Naomi opened the refrigerator and asked, "No thank you to what?"

Caroline sat down at the table. "I can't talk to Dr. Turner, ma'am. Not about this."

Naomi paused momentarily in selecting an item. That couldn't be. She'd seen her in Violet's office. She'd seen them talking. She pulled out the bread.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because," Caroline said the word as if the reasoning should be obvious. When Naomi didn't respond or look like she understood the reason Caroline sighed at once frustrated and embarrassed.

When Naomi still didn't seem to "get it", Caroline, red-faced with embarassment muttered, "Because she's pregnant."

"Oh!" Naomi nodded in understanding as the plopped the Nutella a knife and two plates down in front of Caroline. She made it look like she understood, but really, no dice. It made no sense.

"I hate to break it to you," she began, "but you are pregnant."

Caroline looked at Naomi in disbelief. "I'm serious!"

"Yes," she smiled, close to laughing, "I see that. What I don't get is why you can't talk to Violet about what happened to you."

"I just told you," Caroline insisted. "Cuz she's pregnant!"

Naomi bit her lip this time, and instead of allowing herself to laugh at her response, focused instead of opening the Nutella and bag of bread.

"You're going to have to give me more," she admitted, spreading the chocolate mixture on the slices. "I still don't get it."

"Boy, you sure don't, do you?" Caroline asked the question as a child would who is confounded by the denseness of the adult world.

Stupid grown-ups Naomi told herself and this time laughed aloud before she could stop herself.

Caroline sighed with impatience, ignoring the food placed in front of her, and looked at Naomi as a teacher would her slowest student.

"It would upset her," she explained, looking Naomi straight in the eye, confident that this would finally make her point.

Naomi just stared.

Another sigh of exasperation.

Naomi smiled. It was fun annoying kids for once, instead of the other way around.

"Oh my gosh," she grumbled, "I can't believe you don't know this. You're supposed to be a doctor!"

Naomi smiled harder, and held up her hands in innocence. "I'm sorry, you'll just have to humor me. Explain what you mean."

Caroline looked heavenward, as if seeking assistance in helping this poor adult.

"What you want me to talk about to her, what she' s been trying to make me talk about," Caroline began- I can't talk to her about that because it's upsetting. It would upset her. And you can't upset pregnant people."

Naomi bit her lips again. This was gonna be good. She wanted to drag out the fun as long as possible. Sure, it was probably wrong to find amusement and fun in a child's innocent ignorance, but...well, it was fun!

"You can't?"

Caroline looked shocked and frightened by Naomi's question.

"Of course not!" She insisted.

Naomi bit into her slice of bread, savoring it's now chocolatey goodness.

"Why not?"

Caroline's jaw dropped, and in that moment of what she thought of as protecting the poor pregnant Violet woman, forgot all respect and civility she'd just begun to show.

"Are you stupid or something?" She demanded, simply beyond belief that a doctor couldn't know something as simple as this.

Naomi coughed, but didn't answer. Caroline's current look of sympathy for her stupidity was hilarious, and cute. This is way too fun, she thought.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe this!" She stood up and walked away from Naomi, still ignoring her own food, paced around a few times shaking her head, then stopped and looked back at Naomi.

"Because you can't upset pregnant people!" She shouted as if it were as known and as universal a truth as any. "Because if you do," she paused clearly trying to search for a medically-backed, scientific reason. "Because if you do," she repeated now knowing the reason, "they'll like, die or something."

Caroline watched in concern and surprise as Naomi coughed again, then immediately spit out her food into her napkin. Then with a quick, "I have to check on a patient!" She ran out of the kitchen.

Having left a very confused and convicted Caroline behind, Naomi sailed into Violet's office, plopped herself down on the couch, and grabbing a pillow to muffle the sound, screamed with surpressed laughter.

Eager, Violet got up from her desk and hurried over, sitting next to her friend. "What is it?"

Naomi couldn't answer for laughing. All she could do was laugh harder and point down the hall.

"Come on, tell me! I wanna laugh too!"

Naomi kept laughing but now began shaking her head.

"No," she gasped, "no you don't! It's not funny," she insisted, then started laughing again. "But it is!"

Violet grabbed her by the shoulder and shook her insistently. "Tell me!" She demanded. "Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"You're not going to judge me?"

"I promise I won't judge you."

Naomi gasped, holding her stomach, aching from laughing so hard. "Okay. I found out why Caroline won't talk to you about her rape."

Violet was all ears, and serious, instantly confused as to why Naomi found this funny, and admittedly slightly concerned for her friend's sanity.

Naomi sighed again, getting her breath back. "It's because she doesn't want to upset you."

Violet voiced her concern. "I don't see how that is funny."

"Did you explain to her this is what I do? I hear traumatic stuff all the time. One of my specialities is sexual assault counceling."

Naomi nodded.

"It's not just that. Not just that she thinks it will upset you. It's because you're pregnant."

Violet blinked.

"And?"

"And, that's it."

"What?" Admittedly she was a little disappointed. Where was the funny story? "That's it?"

"Yeah."

"Then what was so funny?"

"Oh!' Naomi smacked herself in her lack of reticense. "She can't upset you while you're pregnant, because if you upset a pregnant person, they'll die."

Violet didn't respond much. "Oh," was all she said.

"Not funny?" Naomi was shocked. She thought the conversation she'd just had with Caroline was hilariously funny.

"Not really."

"Guess you had to be there."

Violet shrugged. "I'll take your word for it."

"But it was funny," Naomi promised, "honest."

"I believe you."

Naomi felt decidedly disappointed that Violet did not share in her amusement. She was happy that her friend didn't disapprove of her finding this funny, she simply just did not find it to tickle her funny bone the way Naomi had.

Out of the corner of her eye Naomi saw Addison walk past. With a frantic wave of her hand, she managed to get Addison's attention. Without further bidding, Addison walked back to Violet's office and poked her head in.

"What's up?"

Giddy, Naomi rose and hurried over like a teen with gossip.

"I have something funny to tell you," she gushed.

Addison's eyes brightened at the prospect. "Ooh, tell!"

Grinning, Naomi opened her mouth to spill the story- then stopped. She looked back at Violet, who, as suspected was giving her a disapproving stare.

"What?"

Violet shrugged up one shoulder. "You really think that's a good idea? It's like, well, it's like you're making fun of her."

"Who?" Addison asked.

"Caroline," Naomi sighed.

"But it's funny!" She insisted. "And I'm not making fun of her, it's just, what she said was funny."

Violet raised an eyebrow, not needing to say aloud that it was the same thing.

"Fine," Naomi rolled her eyes, then glanced at Addison. "I'll be a grown-up. I won't tell you."

Now it was Violet's turn to eye roll. "You mean you just won't tell her here," she elaborated for her transparent friend.

Naomi glanced at Addison, and with a big unashamed grin, back at Violet. "Yes," she confessed, already starting to giggle from supressing her funny story, which she knew, she just knew Addison would think was funny too.

"You fully plan on telling her."

Naomi nodded, unashamed. "Yes, I do."

Now Violet did laugh. "Fine, tell her, but just be sure to know that it's agianst my advice and that I still think you're making fun of a helpless little girl."

Naomi was quick to correct her. "She's not helpless,"

"And," Addison spoke up with a look of pride that confused both Naomi and VIolet, "now she has a lot less hair."

Naomi looked at her, confused. "What?"

"I just found her in the bathroom," Addison explained. "She was cutting her hair."

"Doing a pretty good job of it too. She said you told her she needed to find a more constructive way of dealing with her emotions, and that was what she was doing."

"If this has to do with the funny story, you have to tell me, by the way, she added.

"She was cutting her hair?" Caroline certainly hadn't seemed upset when she left her. " But I left her not five minutes ago."

Addison shrugged. "It doesn't take that long to hack off your hair."

Naomi closed her eyes and groaned, in pain as the image of a bald Caroline came to her.

"Don't worry," Addison put a hand on Naomi's shoulder, "I helped her. I fixed it. Pretty stylin', if I do say so myself. Apparently, I can cut a mean 'do."

Naomi and Violet exchanged stricken glances.

"Oh no," they chorused.

Violet pushed herself up to standing, as Naomi pushed past Addison to find Caroline.

"Don't worry," Violet hissed as the trio made their way down the corridor, "I have a really good stylist. Whatever Addison did, I"m sure he can fix it."

"Fix?" Addison was offended. "There's nothing to fix. It's a work of art it's so good."

"Addison, what did you do?" Naomi pleaded, the image of her friend's head rolling across the floor now passed through her mind.

"Nothing," she assured them. "Caroline had already chopped her hair into a pretty decent bob when I came in to the bathroom. I just helped her even out the back, then made it look a little cooler."

"Cooler?" Naomi and Violet echoed.

"More cool," she corrected herself, oblivious their their concerns.

The trio came to a dead halt, seeing Caroline, with their back to them in the empty pediatric lounge.

"Oh my God," Naomi breathed. Even seen from afar and from the back Addison handiwork was clear.

"Addison," Violet hissed, "what did you do to her?"

"What? Don't you think it looks awesome?" She grinned proud of her work.

At that moment, Caroline turned around.

Violet immediately clamped her hand over her mouth and turned around before the girl could read her expression further.

Addison smiled wide at Caroline, in full approval of her new look.

Naomi just stared.

"What did you do to her?" She hissed through her teeth, so that to Caroline's view her expression wouldn't change.

"She looks like a rock star!" Addison gloated, not sorry in the least.

"Addison," Violet spoke up, her back still to them, "just because you're a million board certified surgeon and can cut people open, does not mean that you can cut hair!"

"Clearly," Naomi agreed. "Vi, get that stylist of your on the phone pronto. Tell him it's an emergency."

"What's wrong with you two? I did a great job!"

Naomi turned on her, facing her head on. "What, you want me to cut your hair like that?"

"Of course not! No one would take me seriously with a haircut like that," she answered. "But if I weren't a surgeon, I'd be rockin' that do."

"Addy, you're from Connecticut," Violet spoke up, not having moved. "You would not be "rockin' that 'do". "

Naomi nodded. "How could you do that to her?"

"She likes it!"

"Was it her idea?" Naomi now took on the tone with Addison that she'd used on Caroline cutting herself.

"No," she admitted. "I just suggested it, and she agreed."

Naomi shook her head, at a loss for word to describe how wrong Addison was.

Just then, Caroline spotted them, and eager as a puppy bounded over to the three women.

"Do you like it?" She asked.

"Isn't it cute?" She continued before anyone had time to answer. "Isn't it awesome? I totally look like Pink!" She squealed. "I look cool!" She nodded her head enthusiastically, her smile so big you could see all of her teeth.

"Maybe I can dye this side pink," she mused. "Just part of it. Like, a streak or something."

Naomi looked open mouthed from Addison back to Caroline. Up close it was easy to see the work that Caroline had done on her own. A styling job that if left alone would have been cute, until Addsion took it upon herself to 80's Rock style her.

As no one was answering, Violet turned to face Caroline. She qucikly turned a sudden gasp and wide eyes at the do into a smile and gushed, "It does look cool! Very punk rock!" She nodded.

Happy that another adult liked it, Caroline smiled big, then turned and bounced away, perfectly happy. She bounced away to the bathroom, where, no doubt, she was going to stand admiring her new hair-do.

As soon as she was out of sight and ear shot, Violet began to laugh, hysterically.

"Oh Addison," she gasped, "Charlotte is going to kill you!" She laughed harded and squealed, "Kill you!" Again, for emphasis.

As Violet laughed so hard she had to hold onto Naomi for support, Nae quipped, "So my story wasn't funny, but murder is, huh?"

Violet looked at her and laughed again. "Sooo funny!" She agreed. "I can't wait to see the look on Charlotte's face when she sees that!"

Addison walked away from them, hurt and pissed. "It doesn't look bad," she asserted, but not as strongly as earlier.

"Yes it does." Naomi and Violet answered.

"It looks like you took a weed-wacker to the side of that girl's head, Addison," Naomi clarified.

"Thanks a lot."

Naomi felt sorry for Addison then, and sorrier still for her response. "I know you were just trying to help."

"And," Violet added, sensing Addison's depression as well, "the important thing is that Caroline likes it."

Naomi nodded quickly in agreement. "You were trying to bond with her, Addison," she assured her, "have some girl time."

Addison nodded and sighed, seeming relieved. "That's exactly it. And it was nice. She was just a nice kid."

Addison cocked her head to the side and thought for a moment before asking Naomi frankly, "What did you do to her?"

Naomi smiled. "She just needed to talk. And that reminds me," she glanced at Violet, "She really needs to talk to a therapist. I don't think she's going to back down on the idea of talking to you, but at least you know she's refusing to speak to you about it due to concern for you. And that's nice."

Naomi sighed again suddenly weighted down by what she knew to be the truth. "But," she paused, "who she really needs to talk to first is-"

"Charlotte," Violet interupted her, smiling.

Naomi nodded. "Exactly."

"No," Violet shook her head, and started to giggle evily. "I mean, Charlotte, she's here."

Naomi looked. Sure enough, she and Cooper were stepping off the elevator.

"Where has he been all afternoon?" Addison asked.

"At the hospital," Naomi answered.

"Doing what? He didn't say he had a case, or a patient."

"Not what," Violet chuckled, "who!"

She and Naomi shared in the laugh, but Addison simply looked at Charlotte with trepidation. She hadn't thought about what Charlotte would think about Caroline cutting her hair.

"So, just how upset do you think Charlotte's going to be?"

"This is just a guess, but", Violet took in how happy and relaxed Charlotte seemed, something she hadn't been for months- "you might want to run away now."


	17. Chapter 17

Cooper hadn't been much help.

The sex had been good. Done it's intended jobs and then some. Originally it was to help Charlotte release some tension, feel good, or at least something other than horrible and angry with herself. But as she waited for Cooper, she realized sex would also keep him from worrying about her, or nosing around for information he shouldn't. She knew he'd been worried about her all these weeks. It was a given that he not even come over or call anymore, after all the times she'd told him, "Don't call me, I don't wanna talk about it", or told him to go home, before slamming the door in his face.

At least she knew him well enough to know that he wasn't taking this personally, but that he knew something was wrong with her. More than simply, well, the stuff she couldn't tell him.

She didn't engage fully during sex, which was unusual.

"What's wrong?" Cooper' asked.

To her own surprise, she just blurted it out.

"This crap with Luanne is all my fault. I'm feeling guilty as hell about it, can't change a damn thing either."

He looked at her as if she'd just said you could read a patient's pulse using a ruler.

"Not following," was what he said, after recovering from the shock. He hadn't expected the sex. It was a nice, if unneccessary surprise. The way she'd been shunning him lately, he'd have been just as thrilled to get to speak to her on the phone. He'd been almost giddy when he picked up his phone earlier to see that she was actually calling him.

She rolled eyes and sighed sharply, annoyed that she had to spell it out.

"If I were still living at home, back home," she corrected, "this never woulda happened."

Cooper sighed softly, looking at her as if he pitied her. She glared at him.

"Why's that?" He asked.

"Cuz I would have been there," she explained. That should be enough.

"At the school?" He asked. "In that classroom, or wherever it happened? At home? Where, Charlotte, exactly where would you have been that would have prevented this from happening?"

Fuck you. She wanted to say it, but didn't.

"You're no damn help," was what she said instead. It was obvious. If she had just been there, it just wouldn't have happened, okay? It just wouldn't have. Why the hell didn't he see that?"

He kissed her. "It's not your fault," he whispered.

She rolled her eyes and looked side-ward, pushing him aside.

"Unless you're pyschic, there's no way you could have known that was going to happen. You have to stop beating yourself up about this. Something that you had no control over. Something that was not your fault. You couldn't have known, couldn't have stopped it."

He gave her a gentle smile. "The best you can do now to help her, instead of being angry with yourself for something that is not your fault," he emphasized, "is help her now." He kissed her again. "Be there for her."

He put his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder. "Help each other through this."

She grumbled in a grudging way, with a slightly pouty face, shoved gently at him.

"You're no damn good at this," she insisted.

Cooper's grin spread across his face like a Cheshire cat.

"But I am right. I'm good at being right." His smile widened more than she would have thought possible.

Damn him, she couldn't help smiling back.

"Ass," she hissed, her lips puckering this time in an attempt to conceal her smile.

Sex the second go around was admittedly better.

Line Break Here. Again if someone knows of a trick that works or symbols that work, lemme know.

The screaming nearly stopped her heart the moment it woke her. For that split second she was frozen in place, to the bed, before rushing blindly to Luanne's room. The room she told everyone else was a guest room. She didn't let anyone else in there but Luanne.

"Luanne, wake up!"

"Wake up!"

To her horror, Charlotte saw that Caroline was actually wide awake. Simply staring in a frozen stare at nothing, kicking at what was left of the bedsheets, whatever wasn't already flung to the floor.

Charlotte realized that she wasn't screaming in fear or pain, and that would have come as some relief, if the screaming weren't so filled with emotional pain. As unfond of expressing emotions as she was, Charlotte was more than keen in picking up the emotions of others. At least, those she cared about.

When Caroline began tearing at her cheeks with her fingers, scratching, then diggine her fingers into her hair, her scalp, drawing out hair as well as blood, Charlotte grabbed her hands.

"Stop it!" She demanded. "Stop that!"

At least this gave her something else to think about other than her kid's hacked off hair.

Caroline screamed and howled louder at the restraint. She kicked harder with her legs, shaking her head wildly. Charlotte noticed that her eyes were now shut tightly, pulling back with her shoulders and arms, trying to escape her hold.

"Luanne, what's wrong?" She had to yell for her own voice to carry through the child's own screams and struggling for it to have any chance of it reaching her ears.

When she wasn't screaming she was gasping, but it wasn't for breath. She was trying not to cry.

"Luanne, talk to me! Tell Momma what's wrong!" It was a plea.

A quick sound like a choked sob escaped Caroline's mouth, then was instantly replaced with a scream so loud and full, the strength of the emotion behind it, if it were a physical force, would be strong enough to blow Charlotte's home apart.

"Make it stop!" She half screamed, half sobbed the words, and before she'd finished, had managed to flip herself over in bed so that she was crouching, hands over her head in anguish, once again pulling at her hair.

Charlotte's heart hurt. She knew the emotion her small frye was feeling. Guilt. Guilt was practically Charlotte's best friend, she knew it in all it's intricacies.

The regret and heaviness in her chest, momentarily prevented her from stopping the bodily attack Caroline was committing against herself, now wrenching at what was left of her hair.

Charlotte snatched Caroline's hands up again. "Stop it," she whispered. Then she sighed heavily, feeling the bed beneath her, as she was now kneeling on it, shake with Caroline's held in sobs frustration, and guilt- which all led to anger, and self hatred. Hence the self-mutilation attempts.

"Caroline, baby," she whispered, holding her now, cradeled in her arms, rocking slightly back and forth to calm her as she used to do. "It's allright."

Eyes wide again, Caroline looked at her mother as if one possessed. Through teeth clenched, as Charlotte had rightly guessed, in sheer anger she answered fiercely, and with conviction, "It is not all right!"

What could she say? The kid was right.

So, instead, pissed at herself that she was still too weak to do the talking that needed doing, Charlotte told her daughter to beat up a wad of pillows. As she exhausted herself, finding herself unable to do anything else, Charlotte went and got her a shot of scotch, with the intent of numbing her slightly, and making her drowsy. Then she'd be able to fall back to sleep. Then everything would be okay, she told ehrself.

At least if she were asleep she wouldn't be able to be upset.

Ooh, just you wait for the next chapter! Oh, it's good. I didn't even see it coming. Half of this chapter was going to be in another chapter, and well, I'll just say you'll really like the next chapter. And, let's see, if I remember KaDeeLaDee, NanooNanoo wanted you to check her last review as she has a question for you. NN, hope you get your question answered as you like it.

And in case you forgot you still have to review this chapter! Even though I'm teasing you about the next one. It's not done yet, so don't get your hopes up about it being published soon. Sigh. There's about a hundred or more readers for this chapter already so... wtf? Review, people! The most reviews I've gotten for one chapter that I can remember was 12. I wanna beat that. Just sayin'.


	18. Chapter 18

Charlotte King had marched into his office, leading Caroline in front of her, pushed her into a chair, then addressed him with the order, "Fix it."

Sheldon blinked in surprise, and Charlotte left.

He glanced over at Caroline. There were reasons he didn't usually see children.

His eyes followed after Charlotte for a moment, mulling over her command.

"Erm," he cleared his throat ,"by fix it," he clarified, "she did not mean it as being you, more the situation you're in."

Caroline snorted. "You think you can fix this?" She chuckled softly. "I'd like to see you try," she whispered, eyes narrowed.

It was a defense tactic, and Sheldon, the professional that he was, recognized it as such, and saw right through it. Ready to prove it, he stood up from his chair.

When Sheldon approached her, however, the sullen turned overly confident demeanor she'd displayed- he was certain it hadn't been her idea to see him, but Charlotte's, vanished.

Instantly her body languaged changed. Ever part of her body, even while sitting, was actively pulling away from him. Trying to get as far away as possible.

Sheldon sighed inwardly and stopped moving towards her, choosing instead to move back towards his desk, as if he'd forgotten something.

"You know it's as much a surprise to me that you are here this morning, as it is to you." He tried to smile in a joking, sympathetic fashion.

She was silent, staring at him wide eyed and frozen, but clearly ready to flee in a split second. She was threatened by him, as she had been by the men in Violet's practice. It was certainly understandable. All the men around her now were strangers, it made sense for her to distrust them. Top that off with having recently been raped by a man that she did trust? An equation for a lot of problems.

Looking at her arms, face and wrists, it was easy to see that what Naomi had mentioned to him yesterday was correct. Caroline needed help in coping with this.

Not that he hadn't known this from the start, anyone with a brain would know that. So why was Charlotte so reluctant to get, or even coerce her daughter into getting the help she needed?

And to be honest, in circumstances such as these, one didn't ask if a child wanted to talk to someone and get help, one took the child, as Charlotte had just attempted, and "helped" them to get help. A situation of telling, not asking.

He wasn't sure if Naomi had told Charlotte about the incident of finding Caroline cutting herself in a patient's room, but felt resonably confident that she had. And even if she hadn't, the abuse the girl had been inflicting upon herself in her emotional upset, was difficult not to notice.

He smiled at Caroline again, momentarily worrried about just how long he'd been lost in his own thoughts.

"Caroline," he began, I think your mother wants me to talk to you, rather for you to talk to me about what you're feeling. Tearing at your skin," he looked her over again, "and your hair", he noted a few small bald patches- easy to see the red of freshly clotted blood in the blonde, "isn't really the best way to express yourself."

He sat down nearer to her. "Why don't you tell me what you're feeling? What happened to you, and why you're upset about it?"

That might take a while, his brain reminded him. And after all, he did have an actual registered patient to meet with at nine.

"I'm just so, I'm so-" she stopped herself.

"Just so what?" Sheldon asked. He didn't need to. He could see it in her eyes, in her body language, even hear it in the way that she breathed. Caroline's nostrils flared, she was breathing hard through them, like an angry bull.

Charlotte King's little girl was furious.

But she needed, _needed_ to verbalize it. The fact that she wasn't and hadn't was the root of the problem. Charlotte having her deny herself as her child now wasn't helping, but it was far from the girl's biggest problem.

"I'm," she gasped, then shook her head hard. "I can't. I can't tell you. I can't."

"Why not?"

"It's not good." Gone was the tone of defiance, the facade of strength. "You wouldn't get it, and saying how I feel, that won't change anything."

Her body language said, I am afraid of you.

"Is keeping your emotions inside helping?" He asked, keeping his distance, and thinking better of it, sitting down as well, so as not to appear to be towering over her, or in any way threatening.

Caroline opened her mouth to answer, then realizing the answer wasn't to her liking and that it would make this Dr. Wallace right, she closed her mouth.

"I just," she gasped again, "I just want-"

She bit her lips together this time to silence herself, her hands balling into fists.

"Want what?" He asked, conciously trying not to look at the clock.

She looked at him, the quickly looked away.

Her nostrils were flared, her cheeks red, mouth in an upside down 'u' shape, lower lip puckered.

"Oh dear," he whispered, dreading her crying in his office. Unprofessional, he knew. He often had clients cry in his office. But he disliked it when children cried. They seemed to cry louder, and in this particular case, he had a feeling he would be blamed for it. Allowing a patient to vent their emotions was a good and healthy thing. Making a kid cry wasn't.

And just like that she was gone. Bolted from the room, flinging his office door open.

As she hurried down the hall, the door still closing after her, he heard her call out in the clear intentionally far reaching cry used to call a far off parent to a frightened child's bedroom, in a voice that projected and was aimed to carry far, though it was not a yell but a cry.

"Mama!"

She was heading straight to Charlotte's office.

Sheldon leaned back and folded his arms, considering all the doctors he'd seen walking past his office so far, who had either seen Charlotte and Caroline walking to his office, or at the very least, knew Caroline as being Charlotte's niece.

It couldn't be confused with a cry of distress, as one who perhaps missed her mother. It was a summons, clearly meant for someone within earshot. The only person she could possibly be calling was Charlotte King.

He sighed, considering damage control.

The one of you that commented on chapter length earlier stated that they prefer shorter chapters. So, I'm taking that as the majority consensus, and going with the wishes of that particular person. The rest of this shall be finished later. And it's good. BUT, you need to review this chapter. Who knows, you might well, as you often do, give me an idea for an upcoming chapter.


	19. Chapter 19

NOT A GRAPHIC CHAPTER. None of them are actually, the ones before this or after.

Wow. Believe it or not Chap 12-17 all take place on the same day! The downside of shorter chapters, I suppose. Before you read this, I suggest refreshing your memory of what happened in Chap 13. As this is a result of it. As was the nightmare/panic attack Caroline had last night. You'll find out the whys of Chap 13 in the next chapter. Not enough room here.

"Mama!"

"I heard you the first time." Her voice was dry. "Half of LA did too, I'm sure."

She'd begun speaking before she'd turned in her chair, and as she did, she wished she hadn't spoken at all.

Caroline stood in the door way, looking as if she'd been slapped in the face. Her cheeks were red, and she looked about to cry.

In less time than it took her to turn around, Caroline was attached to her, sobbing. She'd simply slammed into her, blindly, the force sending Charlotte, Caroline, and the chair all rolling backward to the wall.

Harder than Caroline had hit her, was the realization that Charlotte had just made a huge mistake. If Caroline's arms weren't around her, she'd have smacked her own forehead. _ Take a rape victim and put them alone in a room with a man. Idiot!_

"Did he hurt you?" Charlotte nearly screamed the words in her rage.

"Did he touch you?" She snapped, trying to push up to standing to kill Sheldon. _Knew this was a bad idea._

Caroline just kept crying, and Charlotte realized that Sheldon hadn't done anything to her.

"What's wrong?" She murmered. The words low enough for her to pick them up through her tears.

Caroline just kept crying. "Everything!" She answered, when she was finally able to get enough air between sobs. Then she resumed.

Feeling at a serious loss for words, Charlotte just held her, until the sobbing stopped. She wasn't really expecting Caroline to tell her what was wrong, she'd been notoriously vague in the time she'd been home, so Charlotte was surprised when words came out of Caroline's mouth, unprodded by her.

"I know I been acting mad at you,and everyone, but really I'm just pissed at me."

Charlotte's brow wrinkled in confusion.

Without looking at her mother, simply staying in her arms instead, Caroline continued,

"I know people say it's not my fault, and it's not like I walk around saying that it is just to get attention or a reaction, but it is my fault. People just say it isn't to make me feel better. But that doesn't help, cuz I know it's a lie. I know what I did, it's my fault. This is just reminder that I have to live with it."

Charlotte looked down at Caroline in disbelief. "I wanna knock some sense into you right now."

Caroline glared at her. "You're not listening," she whined.

"_Don't dismiss her feelings. Whatever she feels is okay." _Violet's words came to her again. Charlotte made a face. This was hard.

"Fine," she grumbled. "I'm sorry. Keep talkin'."

"Trust me, I don't want it to be my fault, but it is. I'm not stupid. I can see things for what they are. I'm a smart person, not like some of the air heads at school. This shouldn't have happened, and I could have kept it from happening. I should have, could have stopped it, but I didn't. I was too stupid to get away."

Charlotte shook her head, heavy with sadness and guilt and sighed heavily. _Where is Violet Turner when you actually need her?_

Switching the subject slightly, Charlotte decided now was a good time to confess a bit herself, even if she didn't agree worth a damn with Luanne's view of her own role in her rape.

I told you I've been wrong about all this. I told you not to talk about it, and that was wrong. It set the ball rolling for a lot of the anger you're feeling now, and that's my fault. I admit that. How I reacted to you was inexcuseable. A mother should support her child in times like this. I prayed nothing bad would ever happen to you, and when it did, I just couldn't bear it. But that's me and your Daddy being selfish again, thinking of ourselves and not handling this right. We're the grown-ups, we're supposed to know what to do, and act right. You shouldn't have had to deal with this all yourself. And I've just been hoping if we didn't talk about it, if I didn't let you talk about it, it would go away."

Rightly so, Caroline simply looked back at Charlotte, her face clouded in anger.

She nodded. "You're right to be angry. You're right to scream at me for not doing my job, for not thinking of what was best for you. I'm a doctor, I'm around people all the time who deal with things like this, and I know how to deal with it, what you're supposed to do, and I didn't do right by making you get help, somehow thinking that what applies to and helps other rape victims doesn't apply to you- I didn't want you to be one of those awful statistics. Didn't want it to be real. So I kept denying. You got every right to bitch at me. I been about as adult and helpful to you these past months as a slobbering two year old. "

Charlotte sighed again and straightened up in her chair, against Caroline's weight.

"I'm not angry with you for what happened, for any of this. You could go on a killing spree for all I care- and I couldn't be mad at you for that. You've got every reason in the world to be furious- with the world, for having this happen to you. It's not right or fair."

"Daddy is!" Caroline contradicted Charlotte's earlier assertation. "He started yelling at me about how come I din't tell him before!"

Charlotte suddenly felt exhausted. That was the first thing he said when he found out? Then it hit her- she hadn't responded any better.

"I was wrong with what I told you before." The first thing she'd said when they'd gotten in the car at the airport was basically to not talk about it. How mature. "I was wrong in how I treated you. I was acting the same way that your Daddy was."

She sighed, knowing where her ex was coming from on this, and added,

"He didn't mean that, not that way. That's just how he took it, but that wasn't the right way to respond. I know he didn't mean it like that. He was angry. But beneath that, what you said scared him. He was afraid for what happened and upset at himself that he didn't protect you. And getting angry with you was easier than admitting he was angry with himself- which he should've been. He couldn't have prevented what happened anymore than you could have. How he reacted around you was wrong. He should have just supported you, been there for you. Tell ya he'd kill the son-of-a-bitch, to make you feel better."

" You telling earlier doesn't change what happened. Even if you told ten years from now. We'd still be as angry about what happen as if you'd told the second after it happened. It's what that," she took in a breath to help curb her mouth, "deadbeat did to you that we're angry about. We are not angry with you."

In the silence that followed, Charlotte realized she was being selfish yet again, when it was her daughter who needed to speak.

"Luanne, tell me what happened." She stopped herself. She let out a breath, then tried again.

"Would you like to tell me what happened?" She asked.

"Or is there someone else you'd like to tell, like Violet or maybe Cooper, or Naomi Bennett? I'm fine if you don't wanna tell me, but I do know it's important that you do tell, get it out. Your story is important. It matters a lot, and telling... it will help you heal. It will help you feel better. Hold it all inside," she elaborated, "you'll just tear your skin off." She nodded to Caroline's numerous self-inflicted wounds.

Caroline bit her lower lip, and looked heavenward, considering. "Um..."

I was going to go in a couple different directions for this chapter, but I decided to keep it simple. Next chapter will be good. Charlotte and...some other characters.

PS- KaDeeLaDee, in case you haven't seen it (someone pointed out you might have been skipping chapters) I posted a question to you, from one of my readers in a previous chapter. One of the ones you didn't review, couple chapters ago. Or just check the reviews, that's where she posted the question originally. It's from NanooNanoo.


	20. Chapter 20

I wanna switch and just call her Luanne, to break up all the C names, but I think it's a little late for that. What do you guys think about that? Cuz I'm really not sure what to do when the POV changes, like when Charlotte is thinking about Caroline, it would make sense that she think of her as Luanne, since that's her given name, Caroline is her middle name. I just thought of a good twist where I could make the name switch permanent. Hmmm.

On with the story-

"So, can you tell me what happened? How you feel about how things are now?"

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Whatdaya think?" She hissed. "She feels like crap," she answered.

Violet cleared her throat and forced a smile at Charlotte.

"Why don't we just let Caroline do the talking, for now, allright?"

She looked back at her new patient with a genuine smile. "And if you want to talk without your Aunt present, that's fine too." She looked pointedly at Charlotte.

"Isn't it, Charlotte?" It wasn't really a question.

Charlotte was giving her the evil eye. Violet raised an eyebrow. Charlotte rolled her eyes and looked away.

"Fine," she grumbled.

Caroline sighed. "It doesn't matter," she mumbled. "Saves having to repeat myself."

"What you want does matter. Your feelings matter. You matter. This is a safe space to express anything that you want, anger, fear, saddness- even if you want to say you're upset with your aunt, that's okay. This is your safe place, and your time to say what you want. This is where your healing journey begins."

Behind Charlotte and Caroline, Violet spotted Cooper, hovering just behind the two, pacing back and forth and looking in through the window. His forehead was puckered in concern, and Violet thought as she often did, that he looked much like a father worried about his child.

She got up and closed the blinds, eliciting a look of indignation from Cooper.

She smiled again when she sat back down, and decided to start with something easier than, "tell me your rape story".

"I'm really glad you agreed to come and talk to me about this," she began. "That's a really brave thing to do."

Caroline couldn't meet her gaze, and was squirming slightly.

"You Aunt mentioned earlier that you were reluctant to come up here and see me. Why is that?"

"I was embarrassed." The words were mumbled again, and Caroline kept her gaze fixed on the floor.

"Because of you hair?" the question came out of Violet's mouth before she could stop it. Charlotte had clearly taken Caroline to have Addison's styling job, fixed. The fix resulted in a pixie hair cut. Violet liked it a lot, and it wasn't a hairstyle that worked on everyone, but she thought maybe Caroline was apprehensive about it.

That got her attention. Caroline snapped to attention. "No," she answered as if the question were insane- looking Violet in the eye.

"Because of what happened before, with Dr. Bennett."

"When she found you with the razor blade," Violet finished.

Caroline shook her head. "No, the other . What happened in his office."

Violet had been wondering just what had triggered Caroline.

At her statement Charlotte King's body language changed markedly. Her entire body tensed, nostrils flared, her breathing noticible in her chest- heavy, but shallow. Charlotte was afraid.

"Can you tell me what did happen?" She asked this, knowing that more would be provided.

"He asked me to help him with some stuff. To put some stuff away, I think," she remembered. "And it was fine," she insisted. "But then-"

Caroline stopped talking and resumed figiting in place.

"Then?" Violet prompted. "Don't worry," she promised, "you can take your time."

"It was just like what happened before."

Caroline's arms were crossed tightly over her chest, and at that moment she drew her legs up to her chest as well, subconciously putting herself in a sitting fetal position. Violet could barely hear her answer, but could tell from body language alone that Caroline was very uncomfortable.

Violet watched her jaw clench and tighten, and noticed that Caroline had moved even closer to Charlotte, turning and pushing into her as if trying to get away from something. Although, she noted, from the very beginning of the session, some part of Caroline was touching Charlotte, trying to be as close as possible. If Charlotte moved, Caroline adjusted her position subtly, as to always remain in contact with her.

Violet was looking at Charlotte, wondering if she was going to hyperventilate. She was taking this much worse than Caroline was, or just differently. Caroline was physically showing her fear and apprehension. Charlotte was trying to hide it.

"What're you doing?"

Cooper started slightly at Sam's voice behind him.

"Oh, hey!" He smiled, trying not to look as guilty as he suddenly felt. "What's going on?"

"Was asking you the same thing." Sam glanced pointedly at Violet's obviously closed therapy session, then back at Cooper.

"Why are you spying?"

"I'm not spying." Cooper sounded like a pouty, guilty eight year old, and he knew it.

"Uh huh." Sam crossed his arms and gave Cooper his look of shame. He smiled when Cooper cracked from it.

"Okay," he confessed, "so maybe I'm trying to find some stuff out, is that so wrong?"

"Yes," Sam answered while Cooper continued,

"Charlotte won't tell me anything, so how else am I supposed to-"

Sam shook his head. "You're wrong, dude. You're wrong. Just walk away. If you were meant to know it, you'd know it."

Sam started to walk away when Cooper called out, stopping him,

"IF Naomi were in this much pain, and wouldn't let you in on it- you'd do whatever it took to find out what's wrong with her."

Sam turned back around, knowing Cooper was hurting. Knowing that Charlotte had frozen him out the moment Caroline'd arrived.

He let out a breath and answered as gently as possible, "But it's not Naomi. And my guess is it's not Charlotte in there with Violet- at least not alone. This is about that girl. And that," he pointed at Cooper, "is why you need to leave this alone. Respect that child's privacy."

Cooper sulked for a moment, hating that Sam was right. "Couldn't hear anything anyway," he grumbled.

Violet decided to prompt her gently.

"How was being in Sam- Dr. Bennet's office," she added, "like, "before"? What did you mean?"

"Well," her voice was quavering, and Violet knew she was thisclose to tears, "like when I was in Mr. Denton's office. It's part of his room,"

"Was part of his room, what used to be his room, before he got fired," Charlotte clarified.

Violet cleared her throat to make Charlotte look at her, then shook her head slightly when she did so, reminding her to keep quiet.

"But everyone calls it his office," Caroline finished as if she hadn't been intrupted.

"And Mr. Denton is...?"

"Was", Charlotte corrected

"My music teacher," Caroline answered.

She couldn't look her in the face.

"Where you in his room a lot?"

She shrugged. "We had music twice a week, but you could go help out if you wanted to, for extra credit. I didn't need the extra credit," she insisted, "but I liked music, and liked helping him, so that's what I did."

"So you were his student helper, assistant..." she ventured for another word. She'd known kids in her school who'd help the teacher after school or during a study hall- usually they were called suck-ups. But, Caroline didn't seem to be that kind of a kid. And then Violet considered the other reason kids would stay after school or help a teacher- either they didn't want to go home and or they lacked a positive role model.

"Whatever. I just helped him with stuff when he needed it. Me and some other kids too."

Violet was on alert. The idea that this man could have abused other students was disturbing, and she hoped that Caroline had given this information to the authorities.

"Sometimes we'd even get to help the little kids with their special showcase pieces for Christmas or the end of the year recital or whatever."

Violet smiled. "That sounds like fun."

Caroline nodded. "It was." There was no trace of pain in her voice at the statement, and Violet knew she wasn't currently thinking of what the man had done to her, but of her joy with her small helper duties.

"I like music."

"Anything?"

Cooper jumped slightly, but realizing it was only Pete, he relaxed. Pete would get this.

Cooper stepped away from the door.

"I found," he spoke softly, "that if you just find the right place to stand, it's easier to hear."

"And what've you heard?"

Cooper smiled. Pete got it. No jugement here.

"He's an asshole." He shook his head. "It was her music teacher, and she liked music class."

Pete grimaced.

"Which means," Cooper continued, "that she probably hates gym class. Which means that besides lunch, music is probably the only class she enjoys, enjoyed," he corrected, " and this bastard ruined it for her."

"Did she say that?"

He shook his head. "Not yet," he admitted. "But it's only a matter of time."

Pete nodded in agreement, then claped Cooper on the back in a brotherly fashion.

"Stop eavesdropping," he added as he walked away.

Cooper watched Pete walk away, feeling admittedly both childish and angry. He glanced ahead to Sam's office, then with an aggrivated "I've been wronged" sighed, walked heavily over to the lounge chairs and sat down.

...Mr. Denton was always fun, class was never boring."

Violet's chest hurt. How one person could take something of joy from another person came to mind. They'd have to work on that, too.

"How long were you his assistant for?"

Caroline shrugged. "Two, three years, maybe?

Charlotte's eyes were closed and she was breathing in a meditative fashion, probably to keep from getting up and smashing something. Violet considered asking her to leave the room. She didn't want anything to detract from Caroline being able to open up to her.

At Caroline's last statement, Charlotte's eyes cinched closed, her lower lip wobbled. Violet could tell she was trying very, very hard not to cry, and that she was thinking exactly what Violet herself was thinking- Caroline's music teacher had planned this possibly from the very start. After all, sexual assault is a crime of motive, which he had, and opportunity, which he created.

She brought it back. "It sounds like you learned a lot while there, had fun, and probably helped a lot of little kids too. Now, can you tell me what it was about being in Dr. Bennett's office that upset you? That reminded you of your teacher's office?"

Next Chap is pretty Coop heavy. Prepare yourselves.


	21. Chapter 21

She bit her lip, and Violet noticed her shoulders were up to her ears. Clearly that wasn't something she was ready to tell.

"It's allright Caroline. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."

"This is a safe space. You can tell me anything. I won't get upset, or be angry, or judge you. I'm just here to hear your story, and offer help if you want that."

Caroline looked away from her and fidgeted, awkward and uncomfortable now.

Violet asked softly, "Could you tell me what happenened that day, in Mr. Denton's classroom?"

" I was helping him staple some new posters up on the wall- really high up."

"And what happened."

"He was standing behind me. I was standing on top of one of the tables- I'd been the one to say I'd do it, even though it was really high up, and Mr. Denton said he'd only allow it if he were standing right next to me, spotting me, in case I fell."

Charlotte eyes were still closed tight. It was obvious that hearing about this caused her physical pain. Her face was red and scrunched up as tightly as her eyes.

Violet shuddered. Knowing, and knowing that Caroline hadn't known, that Mr. Denton had seen this as his perfect opportunity.

"Was this during school?"

"After."

She hated to ask, but it seemed pertinent. "Were you by the door by any chance? Or windows?"

"No," she answered. "It was in the back, by the corner. The only windows in the room were away at the other end."

Charlotte shook her head sadly. Caroline seemed oblivious to the fact that this had clearly been planned on Mr. Denton's part. She just happened to be in a part of the room no one would be able to see, just happened to be after school, and Mr. Denton just happened to be nice enough to let her stand up on a table, where he'd easily be able to grab her, and she'd be in a position physically, where it would be difficult to get away.

Gross.

Maybe it was a blessing that she didn't see this. But Charlotte did, and Violet was slightly happy about that.

"So, what happened?" Violet moved forward towards her, gently, but Caroline stayed in her curled position next to Charlotte.

"I was stapling one of the posters up- the last one," she faltered taking a deep breath. "And, and he-"

She stopped talking, and grabbed onto Charlotte's arm with her hand. Then she buried her head into Charlotte's shoulder.

Violet sighed lightly. Then she cleared her throat, pointedly. As expected, Charlotte opened her eyes finally, and looked at her. Violet gave a nudging look towards Caroline, silently telling Charlotte to encourage Caroline.

Charlotte looked at Violet then, and Violet felt sorry for her. The pain and fear in her eyes spoke volumes. Giving her a smile that said she understood, Violet grabbed Charlotte's free hand and squeezed it. Then held it, when Charlotte didn't pull away.

Charlotte bit her lips and swallowed hard.

"What happened, baby?" Her voice was shaky.

Caroline held to her aunt for a moment more, reluctant.

"Come on," Charlotte prompted. "This is the only way you're gonna stop feeling so awful."

Caroline stayed silent.

"Talk!"

Charlotte's voice was sharp. It was an order. And Violet knew the feeling she was projecting was a lie. She didn't want to hear this anymore than Caroline wanted to tell it.

Caroline sighed in distaste and made a grumbling sound. But she reluctantly pulled away from Charlotte again.

"He grabbed me from behind," she finished. "I thought at first he was just going to put me down, safely since I was done with the posters."

She raked her fingers through what was left of her hair, clearly upset.

"He told me, "Don't say anything." I was wndering why he said that. Wondering if he maybe had a surprise for me, a treat,"

Suddenly Charlotte King was crying. This clear statement of Caroline's innocent ignorance was the straw that broke Charlotte. She was sobbing. And while Violet felt for her, her pain in hearing her poor niece's thinking as her brain struggled to comprehend something it had never encountered before, this was Caroline's session, not Charlotte's. And she did not need Charlotte's crying to frighten Caroline out of talking.

"Charlotte," she kept her voice calm, and steady, "can you get it together so that Caroline can keep talking? Or would you like to leave the room?" She knew leave the room was exactly what Charlotte did want to do- to run away and not have to hear a story like this. But at the question, Violet had changed her tone from one of compassion to that of a disapproving teacher, a threat.

As expected, Charlotte immediately began shaking her head in answer.

"No," she sniffled, "no, I'm fine." In her emotional state her accent heightened so that I'm became Ahm, and fine was fahn. As soon as she'd composed herself, Caroline picked up exactly where she'd left off- in mid-sentence.

" and he didn't want me to tell the other kids and make them jealous- cuz sometimes he did that. Annabelle Marks got a gift certificate to the mall, and she told everybody. Then a whole bunch of people were volunteering to help Mr. Denton. But he said no, because they were greedy," she explained.

Caroline took a deep breat and continued, "I felt like something was wrong, but I didn't know what. I wasn't afraid because," she paused searching for the reason.

"Because you never thought he'd hurt you?" Violet asked.

She nodded.

"He laid me down on the floor," her face was redding with each word, "and I was confused."

"Not scared?"

She shook her head. "I was confused. I didn't know why he was doing that."

Violet jumped slightly when Charlotte sniffled. Violet glanced over, realizing she'd pulled her hand out from hers. Charlotte was now leaning forward, elbows on knees, cradling her head in her hands.

"I just kept looking at him. It was probably only a few seconds, but it felt like more. I kept wondering what he was doing, like he was going to pull a prank on me. He did that stuff sometimes." At that sentence her voice went soft, wistful.

"When he started pulling at his belt, I thought he was crazy, but I still didn't get it. I mean, I just never ever would have thought of all the things in the world..."

Charlotte muffled a cry of pain, stuffing her fist in her mouth to stop herself.

Caroline didn't notice any of this, as she continued, "I was laughing even. I asked him what in the world are you doing?"

Violet nodded.

"Then what?"

Her small forehead became lined. "Well," she paused, "then he said again, "Don't say anything," except his voice sounded different. Now I was confused _and_ afraid.

"When he got down on top of me- he still had his pants on," she clarified, "I was still confused. And I thought maybe something bad was going to happen...but then I felt bad for even thinking such a thing, because Mr. Denton would never do anything like that, like what I was suddenly afraid he might do. He'd never hurt anyone. So, I had to be wrong."

"So I was just more confused. I knew he'd never hurt me, so why was I suddenly so scared. I wanted to know what he was doing. I told him he was scaring me. I knew I had to be wrong in thinking he was going to do something bad. I wanted to be wrong."

Violet felt tears forming in her eyes. She swallowed.

"What did Mr. Denton say when you told him that?"

Caroline bit her lips together, her nostrils flaring. Violet knew that she felt horrible about the rape, of course, but also had the added pain of feeling foolish that she didn't understand what was about to happen, for feeling that her teacher would never harm her, and that she hadn't run away.

Caroline's voice quavered as she answered. "He said to be quiet. And," her voice wavered, " and then he started taking his pants off. I, I just froze. What was happening...just couldn't be. It just couldn't. I couldn't even believe it."

"You were in shock," Violet provided the proper term.

"Of course I was!" She insisted. "He wouldn't do anything like that! He's a good teacher! A good man."

Violet glanced quickly at Charlotte to see if she caught Caroline's verb tense error. She did.

"When he pushed up my skirt, and was pulling down my panties, he told me again to be quiet, not to make a sound. It would be over soon, and I could go home."

"His voice scared me," she confessed. "And when he did that, it was like I couldn't breathe. I thought I was going to die. I looked away, closed my eyes. I didn't want to see, look at what he was about to do. Even when I knew what was about to happen, I couldn't believe it. I still couldn't believe it. It couldn't be happening. Good people don't do that sort of thing."

"Then he," she paused in silent emphasis, "and it hurt, a lot. Then it was over."

"Mr. Denton told me to go home now. And he'd see me tomorrow."

Her breathing was shallow, and she'd been physically shaking for the past five minutes.

"I got up, pulled my panties back on and pulled down my skirt. I ran to the girl's bathroom and threw up, then I went home."

"What did you do when you got home?"

"I made up some exuse, took a bunch of asprin and went to bed."

"Next day I said I was sick, so I got to stay home."

Violet let the silence lay. Sometimes not speaking in therapy was one of the best therapy tools. Just waiting, and listening.

Caroline's cheeks were reddening again, but the look in her eyes had changed dramatically. Caroline was furious.

"And how do you feel now, Caroline? How do you feel now about what happened?"

She sighed loudly in exasperation, her tone and demeanor having changed from sadness to anger. "Listening to it," she paused shaking her head in disbelief, "I must be the stupidest person on the planet. Who doesn't even try to get away when they're about to get raped? Who just lays there and lets them do it?" She asked.

"I didn't even fight! Didn't even try!" I just lay there like a dumb ass idiot.

"I'm stupid!" She blazed. "This is all my fault! If I had just run away, realized what he was about to do, this never would have happened. I thought I was smart. But, a smart person would have realized that Mr. Denton was really a nasty disgusting pervert who likes having sex with little kids. If I was really smart, I would have just known something bad was going to happen. And especially when I did know something bad was about to happen?"

Caroline looked utterly disgusted with herself. "I would have run away. I should have run away."

"You're not an idiot," Charlotte began, but Caroline cut her off before Violet could.

"No, I am. Nothing can change what I did, what I didn't do. It's my own fault I'm in this mess. I should have known better- and then I did, and I still didn't do anything to stop him. I didn't even try to yell for help!"

Charlotte's eyes were huge. She was furious at Caroline's rapist, and furious with Caroline's belief that she was to blame for her own rape. But Violet could tell she was truly making an effort to hold back, and let Violet do her job. She was grateful for that.

Violet asked Caroline her last question for that session, already having a very good idea of what to discuss next.

"Were you afraid of him?"

Caroline was silent for a moment. She adjusted her position so that her body was lined up with Charlotte's.

"I was terrified."

Her voice was barely a whisper, and the far-off look in her eyes told Violet she was watching a re-play of what was happening, as if it were happening right there in Violet's office, right in front of Caroline.

Caroline was shaking so hard, Charlotte was actually moving because of it.

"Mr. Denton was one of the best teachers I ever had. He was good to kids. If he could do something like this to me, I knew he could do anything."

"I was scared he would've killed me if I didn't keep quiet."


	22. Chapter 22

"I thought he was nice n' all," she gasped. "And I figured I better do something to earn my keep here, so to speak,"

Caroline paused for breath and Violet considered that her newest patient was quite well spoken for a girl of her age.

"So I figured I'd better- but I didn't mind," she added hastily. "I like helping other people, and I liked Dr. Bennett. He seemed nice."

The new tense switch didn't go unnoticed by Violet.

"Do you remember what you were feeling when you were helping him in his office?"

Caroline's body began to shake.

Quickly, Violet widened her eyes to give Caroline a focal point, then leaned in closer to her.

"It's okay," she addressed Caroline's tremoring, "this is a perfectly normal physical response. This is a safe place to feel your feelings, and to let your body feel them as well. All I ask while this is happening is that you continue to breathe," she kept her words slow and calm, "can you do that for me?"

Caroline's frame was shaking so hard that her teeth were chattering.

As she nodded Charlotte asked frantically, "What the hell is happening?"

"Calmly, Charlotte," Violet hissed, her eyes not leaving Caroline's.

"This is a physical response to trauma, to fear. It's a body memory. It will pass."

To Caroline she said, "Just keep breathing. When your body has decided it's finished doing this, it'll stop."

"If you're able, I'll like to see if you can keep talking about what happened when you were helping Dr. Bennett, and talk about how you were feeling. It might be connected to what is going on with your body right now."

It took visible effort for Caroline to speak. "It was fine at first, I didn't think anything of it."

"Then, he closed the door, and I was still helping him with the files." She gasped for breathe, body still a-shakin'. "And then I realized that I was alone with him. Just him and me. And he'd asked me to help him with something, just like Mr. Denton did."

"And," she gasped again, "and I thought, what if he was planning on doing the same thing to me that Mr. Denton had? What if that's why he wanted me alone in his office?"

Her breathing became faster.

"Caroline," Violet made sure that the girl's eyes found her own, "I need you to breathe with me. Just take a deep breath in," she demonstrated breathing heavily through her nose, "and out," she exhaled slowly through her mouth.

She repeated it again, motioning for Caroline to follow. After a few such attempts, she breathing slowed sufficiently for Violet to allow her to continue.

"What did you think after the possibility of Dr. Bennett wanting you alone in his office to rape you crossed your mind."

It comforted Violet somewhat to see that Charlotte looked as sickened by that possibility, it's impossibility as Violet felt.

"If my favorite teacher did that to me, what's stopping anyone else?"

"Dr. Bennett seemed nice."

"So did Mr. Denton."

"So I figured I'd better get the hell out of there this time around before anything happened. And I realized that I can't trust anyone here. I can't believe I stuck around here all this time with all these nasty men around. That was another blame fool thing on my part."

Charlotte closed her eyes. Fool. Absolute fool. What the hell were you thinking? Dropping her off with damn strangers. Shoulda just let her stay home.

No. She had to be around people who could help her, and could help her in ways she found difficult. Like it or not, she trusted these people. Trusted them enough to leave her child alone with them. As much as Sam Bennett irked her, the very idea that he could rape anyone let alone a child made her stomach churn. It was impossible.

This music teacher of hers had taken much more than Luanne's virginity. It would take years for the girl to realize just how much was robbed from her that day.

Charlotte was glad Violet was there then. She could preach to her about finding people who are trust worthy, and trust in general.

Violet smiled at Caroline. "It makes sense that you would think that," she nodded. "A perfectly reasonable and normal fear for someone who has been through what you've been through."

Caroline's shaking began to slow, her breathing continuing to do the same, until her body was as still as it was when she came into Violet's office.

"I'm glad you told you about this, Caroline. About what happened and what you are feeling. That's a big step in healing, in starting to feel better."

"Would you like to see me again later this week?"

Caroline immediately looked wary.

Violet held a smile and a laugh in check. She reminded her of Charlotte the one and only time she'd spoken to her in this manner.

"Why don't we see how things go, okay? We can talk or not, if you want."

Caroline gave a curt nod to that, pushing herself off the couch and moving to the door.

Walking behind her, Charlotte turned back at the door.

"That's it?" She hissed.

"Charlotte," she answered candidly, "that was a lot. This took an emotional toll on her. Take her home, she needs to rest."

Caroline was still trembling and sniffling, trying to hold back tears as Charlotte guided her to the elevator. Each made a concious effort to avoid eye contact with any members of the practice.

Once home, and with Caroline put to bed to rest, Charlotte picked up the phone.

"Coop, I need you here."


	23. Chapter 23

IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE NEW CHAPTER 22 GO READ IT. YOU"LL NEED IT FOR THIS CHAPTER!

Go on.

Go Read it. Then Review it.

Then come back here and read this.

Be good gentle readers, you shall be rewarded. :)

When the doorbell rang, Charlotte hurried to it. She didn't want to risk Cooper being an ass and ringing it in some show tune, or knocking the theme of a tv theme song on the door instead. He sometimes did things like that. And it was sometimes funny. The last time he'd been knocking the theme from Mister Ed. Charlotte stood paces from the door chuckling them snorting with laughter. Instead of opening the door before the neighbors could see her boyfriend's foolishness, she allowed him to keep knocking until he'd completed the damn tune. She liked that show, or at least, she remembered watching it when she was a child, loving horses the way she did.

When she opened the door for him she'd feined seriousness.

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" He grinned impishly.

"Knock that entire song on the door to my home."

"Why didn't you open the door before it was finished?" He countered, laughing at her now with his eyes.

"Why did you knock that song on my door?"

"I figured it to be more fitting, you know. Knocking. Like Mister Ed would bang his hoof against the ground to count. Knocking was closer to the sound Mister Ed would have made than ringing a doorbell," he explained, making it clear that he had indeed given thought to this making him even dorkier and making her love him more for his dorky and childish, yet adorable ways.

"Wouldn't he always stomp his heel," he began.

"Hoof," Charlotte corrected.

"That's what I meant, hoof. Wouldn't he always stomp his hoof

"Or paw the ground," Charlotte added before she realized it.

"When he was talking to someone. Or maybe just when he was giving a math answer."

Charlotte wrinkled her nose in thought. "I think that was a different horse."

"Oh."

She didn't have far to get to the door, and didn't have to bother rising, as she hadn't sat down since they'd come home. She couldn't. She was far too upset, and far too adjitated from what Luanne had said during her talk with Violet to sit. Who could sit still after hearing something as awful as that? Charlotte had been storming the floor, instead of pacing quietly to help vet her adreniline. She wanted to kill someone. Specifically that damn music teacher of Luanne's.

"Prison's too good for the likes of him," she muttered as she came to the door.

Opening it quickly she began to speak.

"Coop, I swear to God I don't know what to do about-"

She stopped mid-sentence, mouth still open and stared.

Cooper wasn't there.

In front of her stood Dell, the boy from the desk at Cooper's practice.

What the hell is he doing here? Is what she thought, but she was so startled and so confused she simply made a few unintelligible noises with her still open mouth, before gasping in a breath, shutting her mouth and then demanding,

"What the hell are you doing here? How'd you find out where I live? What'd ya do, stalk me or something?"

"Christ," she muttered, not giving him the chance to explain himself, "ain't got enough paper work to keep you busy at that sappy practice of yours to"

Luanne's scream from the bedroom stopped any further evaluation of the boy standing in front of her. Charlotte's eyes widened as if she were seeing something awful.

"Mama!"

It wasn't a demanding cry, or one that preceded a demand such as the delivery of food or water. It was a scream for help.

Unfrozen from fear, Charlotte turned and ran to her daughter's room.

She raced to the threshold of Luanne's open bedroom door, heart pounding.

She saw Luanne lying face up on the bed, eyes fixed upward.

Charlotte quickly scanned Luanne's body for signs of damage. Seeing none, yet still feeling danger lurking she barked, "What's wrong?" The words were sharp, designed to get a quick answer. And Charlotte needed a quick answer. She was scared. She wanted an answer that aleviated that.

Caroline wimpered, and slowly crept a hand from beneath the covers to point upward.

"Kill it!" She screamed in a desperate whisper.

Charlotte followed the path of Caroline's finger, and saw to her disgust a rather large black spider on the ceiling directly over her kid. Luanne was frozen in fear. The girl wasn't afraid of snakes, but she was afraid of spiders. No thanks, she recalled to a nasty joke Duke had played on her when she was all of three years old. Christ, who scares a baby like that? She'd ended up with a near phobia after that, screaming and bawling anytime she saw a bug.

Charlotte let out a breath at last, relieved Caroline wasn't in labor or dying or anything as awful as what her imagination had conjured up in the seconds it took to reach her. Then she was annoyed with herself for being so afraid, and having fear alone scared her. She hated it. It meant there were things she could not control.

"This is what you called me in here for?" She demanded. "Hell I thought you were dyin' or something!"

She let out another breath, exasperated, then looked around for a chair and a long stick.

Finding a chair and and old baton of hers that would have to do, she placed the chair by the bed and climbed up on it.

Seeing what her mother was planning Caroline whimpered. "No," she moaned. "It'll fall on me," she insisted. "It'll fall on me. You'll miss it, and it'll fall on me!"

"Christ's sake," Charlotte hissed disgusted, "it will not fall on you!" She resented the implication about her aim.

"Yes it will!" Caroline hissed back, fractic.

"Well how the hell else do you expect me to get this thing then?"

Caroline's face crumpled up in fear and misery.

Moaning in terror, she made slow deliberate moves to the side of the bed. Moving slowly, Charlotte assumed, so that the bug wouldn't see her movement and decide to follow after her. She laughed softly at the thought.

The distance not sufficient, Caroline got out of bed entirely and moved to the far corner of the bedroom.

For the moment Charlotte didn't know whether to laugh out loud at her daughter's exaggerated belief in the spider being hell bent on getting her for his dinner, or really insulted that her daughter thought she was so incapable of killing a damn spider. As if her aim were so awful that it would most certainly fling the spider right across the room to Luanne.

The extreme difficulty with which her child rose from bed and walked across the room though did get her attention. It was shockingly different from how she'd been moving just that morning.

Choosing not to comment on that she said instead, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Caroline said nothing, simply cowering in the corner.

Letting out a breath of annoyance, Charlotte climbed up on the chair, and holding the far end of the baton, aimed it's other towards the spider. She did regret having to use her award winning baton to kill an arachnid. With a flick of her wrist, she wacked the baton at the ceiling.

"Got 'im!" She yelled trimphant.

Withdrawing the baton for inspection of said squashed spider, she was surpised to not see a squashed spider on the baton. She turned it for further inspection. No spider. Glanced up at the ceiling. No spider.

"It's in my bed!" Caroline cried. "It's in my bed!" She second proclimation was a sick moan of terror.

Charlotte could just hear her telling herself, now I can never sleep in that bed again. The spider's gonna eat me!" She laughed lightly in spite of herself. Then with more than slight annoyance and frustration that she had failed so clearly at something she'd had complete faith in being able to do, stepped onto the bed to inspect the area where the thing had likely fallen.

"What the-" She saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked over.

"Damn it," she hissed, "it's still alive!"

"I knew it," Caroline groaned.

She made quick work of grabbing the end of the baton with both hands, using and whacking it into the bed after the creature, hitting the bed repeatedly as one would in a carnival game of "wack-a-mole".

"Mama!" Caroline pleaded in warning. "Don't!"

Charlotte continued to bash after the thing, finding it to be a great help in getting out her current rage as well. She happily wacked after the spider. Finally, getting the angle of her baton just right, and slamming down to the bed with just the right amount of force she killed the spider.

As she retracted the baton she saw that it was a rather large spider, legs and all being about the size of her palm. She shuddered slightly and got off of the bed.

Holding the baton far from her she announced, "I'm going to wash this off," headed for the door.

"My bed!" Caroline moaned. "Wash my bed! It's all full of spider guts now! It's all spidery!" She moaned.

Charlotte groaned. Without a word she deposited her old baton in the bathroom sink to be delt with later, then went back to Caroline's room.

Silently she gathered up Caroline's bed cover to be washed. "Fine, I'll clean this, just in case. Just so you don't have to sleep in spider guts," she finished letting her tone show that she thought Caroline was being ridiculous. After all, it wasn't as if there were spiders in her bed, and the dead spider in it's dead entirety was safetly on her prize winning baton.

"Damn it," she grumbled as she carried the bedding out to her washer, glad she had an industrial sized one. After starting the machine, she remembered Cooper at her door.

She hurried over, and was slightly surprised and embarrassed to see that it was Dell standing now in her doorway. She'd forgotten, all in the assumption that Cooper would show up immediately after her phone call.

Dell. Then she remembered. Oh crap.

"Dell Parker," she began, "if you so much as-"

The boy held up a hand to stop her threat. Then he shook his head and smiled

As if there's anything to smile about, she fumed. Great. Sheldon's bad enough, but this kid is as good as taking out a billboard.

He tapped the side of his head, as if that said something.

"Is this charades?" What are you? The scarecrow with no brains?" She smiled and laughed at her own joke.

"Nope," he answered, not offended in the least at her sharp retort. "Just letting you know what just happened is locked away in the Dell Vault."

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. What kind of people do they let work at that place?

"Your secret is safe with me."

Charlotte made a scoffing sound. "Right," she answered. "If you tell a living soul, I'll see to it that you don't get to set foot in a medical setting again, you hear me?"

Dell back away out of the doorway and onto the lawn still smiling, as if her threat meant nothing. "Dell Vault," he repeated. Then nodded to her and walked away.

I never found out what he was here for in the first place, she considered. Nut job.

As she was ready to slam the door, Cooper walked up.

"You called," he announced.

Charlotte nearly slumped over in relief.

"Come in, Cooper," she announced smiling just because her clean slate had walked in. Someone who did not know her secrets. Did not know what an awful person she was.

Just then Caroline walked past them, evidently having gone to the kitchen for something without notice.

She announced in a tired monotone, "I'm sleepin' in your bed." It wasn't a question. She headed in that direction and closed the door. Charlotte looked after her for a moment, noticing again that Caroline was nearly dragging her feet, as if her legs were dead weight.

Hearing no other sounds of danger or warning, simply hearing her daughter fall with thud into her bed, Charlotte turned back to Cooper.

He looked decidedly disappointed. Charlotte laughed when she realized the reason. With a smile she said, "Trust me, that wasn't going to happen anyway."

Cooper forced a larger sadder puppy dog frown.

Charlotte laughed again, rolled her eyes, and pushed him aside playfully.

She wandered into the livingroom thinking about a drink, but too tired to go and make one. She plopped down on the couch, feeling finally the exhaustion of having borne witness to her child's story of rape, and the aftermath.

Violet's got her work cut out for her.

Then she wondered if she should try to talk to Luanne herself about her guilt and trust issues.

She was still wondering when Cooper said, as if asking it for a second time, "What can I do to help?"

How'd he know I needed it? She wondered.

Then before she could stop it, her mouth opened and she said, "I gotta tell you some stuff. This is stuff you know better than I do- you work with kids every day, and you see kids with problems." She took a shaky breath. "And there's something else I gotta tell you, but I figure this other stuff had better come first."

"I don't know how to help her," she confessed. "Cooper, what do I do? I didn't realize till just today how much help she needs. How bad she's needed me. I've made so many mistakes here." She shook her head in regret. "Made more than I ever should have. I been selfish, and a coward. I can't seem to make my way out of it."


	24. Chapter 24

It was hard for Charlotte to speak. Cooper knew that when she was afraid she had difficulty breathing. The way things were going at the moment, he was starting to wonder what he could do if she began hyperventilating. After all, he didn't have oxygen in his car that he could retrieve. He wondered if Charlotte had any paper bags around.

She struggled to breath in. "I kept hearing it, hearing her, but I pushed it aside because it was crazy." She exhaled and breathed in again, a very shallow but still difficult breath. "I never sat her down, never listened to her. Never asked her why she felt like that."

Cooper knew she was kicking herself for this lapse. And also thinking that she wasn't Violet, that she didn't like other people sharing things, and more than that, she didn't like people sharing things that would make her become emotional. Make her feel sadness.

Charlotte shook her head. "Why couldn't I just do this from the start? If I'd just had the sense, I coulda sat her down and we'd be done with it by now. She wouldn't be carrying this around."

Cooper sat back and let the woman he loved go on talking, letting her vent. After a good five more minutes of Charlotte berating herself and hating herself, he finally broke in to the 'conversation'.

"You called me." A simple statement. One she could agree to. One that she wouldn't take as a hint that he agreed with her reasoning- because he didn't.

She nodded, too busy gasping for breath to form the word yes.

"You did the best you could-"

"Don't patronize me," she spat back, "and don't try to make me feel better. It was not the best I could do. I'm stronger than that. I know better, but I was weak. I didn't want to deal with it."

"You didn't want to feel it," his words were a whisper.

"All I've been feeling is rage." And shame, and the need to hide.

"It's easy to feel angry," he spoke this simple truth. Words he'd heard Violet say time and time again, because they were true. "But feeling sadness? Feeling guilt or loss? Those are hard. Really, really hard."

At his words, Charlotte visibly tensed every muscle of her body, but most especially her jaw. As if trying to defend herself, protect herself from the truth of his words. Her mouth, he considered, trying to protect herself from screaming, crying, or saying things she thought she shouldn't. Or all of the above.

"I'm here, Char," he touched her knee, "talk to me. Tell me how you're feeling. I know this is eating you up inside. Let me in. You can trust me. Whatever it is, I promise I won't go running to Violet."

With a hand, she pushed him away, at the same time turning herself away from him, to the other side of the couch.

"No!" The word was a fierece insistance.

Her body was shaking. She was trying not to cry, he knew, and he knew that had to be painful.

"Just let it out. Whatever you're feeling. It's okay."

She was shaking her head, but couldn't speak.

"This is my fault," her words came in gasps now. "It never woulda happened if I'da been there."

Cooper sighed inwardly. He'd heard this before. 

"Char," he whispered, "you couldn't have known. It just happened."

"No!" The word was a barely controlled shriek.

"If I had been there, or if she'd been up here with me- this never would have happened."

He grabbed her by her shoulders and turned her to face him. She had to get this, had to. Had to let go of the guilt that was eating her alive.

"You have to stop this! You have got to stop beating yourself up about this! How many times do we have patients in the waiting room, or in the ER blaming themselves for someone's car accident, or for walking across the 'wrong street' and getting hit by a car? This is not your fault, Charlotte! Nothing you could have done would have stopped this from happening!"

"I could have had her up here with me, she could be in school here in LA, not back home. It wouldn't have happened."

Cooper shook his head wildly. "No, no, no!" He insisted. "It is not your fault. Something could have happened to her here, anywhere. Horrible things happen even in the best of places- you can't control it. It's not your fault. She could have been raped in the room next to you, Charlotte! It wouldn't matter. You didn't know. You had no way of knowing. This is not your fault!"

"I'm her-" she gasped in a breath, "she's everything to me! I'm supposed to protect her!" Charlotte was screaming with sobs now, but didn't seem to notice. "It's my job to make sure she's okay, and I didn't do it, haven't been doing it. I've been so damn selfish I never saw what this was doing to her!"

"She's everything to me! Taking her away, hurting her is like ripping my heart out of my chest!"

Cooper nodded. This was good. This was progress. Charlotte was actually opening up, exposing these painful feelings. He just had to make sure that she didn't shut down.

"Okay," he kept his voice low and calm, non judgemental, "how does what happened to Caroline, how does that make you feel, really? In your heart, how do you feel? Besides," he added quickly, "furious and angry?"

"Besides that?" She looked at him as if he were crazy. "I want to kill the bastard. Tie him to a stake and torture him slowly. Slowly cut away at his penis with a rusty dull scapel."

"What else?" He realized then that trying to tell Charlotte how she couldn't feel, just because it was a 'surface feeling' wasn't the best idea. Definitely not something Violet would do.

"Cut his eyeballs out." The words were deadpan. She'd stopped shaking, but he noticed that her jaw was still vice-like.

"Do you feel anything else? When you first heard about it, when you first saw her? What else were you feeling?"

He hoped he didn't sound so much like Violet that Charlotte shut him out. Please don't shut me out, he prayed.

Charlotte's eyes widened then, as if she were seeing something awful. Her skin blanched, her breathing more shallow. His heart hurt for her. He wanted to take her in his arms and hold her, comfort her, but he knew that would be like turning off the switch. Charlotte would retreat from her truth telling, and never open up again.

"It was like there was no air. The world froze, stopped. There was nothing under me. I felt like I was floating away, or falling, in space. Like someone had punched their fist down my throat and reached in grabbed my heart and yanked it out. Like everything in my body that held me up drained out of me like blood."

"I felt sick. Like I was dying. In this unreality. In this horrible nightmare. I kept thinking that I had to be dreaming. Not just wishing something were a dream, but honestly believing that I was dreaming. Because there was no way in hell it could be real. So it had to be a dream, a nightmare."

She swallowed and took a shaky breath. "And I hurt. I hurt for her. My little girl. Felt like I'd been beaten all over. I felt bruised, broken. Beat to hell. I physically hurt for the pain my baby was feeling. What some monster had put her through."

Sadly Charlotte shook her head. "And for me to not know? Not to know the minute it happened? You're supposed to know when something bad happenes to someone, you just know. Everyone says that. But I didn't. I didn't know. I never got some sixth sense saying something was horribly wrong. I just got thr phone call some months later telling me, finally."

For once she actually made eye contact with him. "I should have known, Coop. I should have known. A-" You know when someone close to you dies, or gets hurt." She shook her head again. "But I didn't. Not me. And I should have. There's no excuse to be that tuned out from the people you love."

"Char," he felt tears in his eyes, "you can't blame yourself for not being pyschic. People don't always know. That sixth sense stuff is crap. You don't know," he assured her, "you don't always know."

Charlotte broke down then. Leaning forward, collapsing into Cooper's lap, sobbing.

Her cries, screams reminded him of the screaming sobs she'd cried for her father, on the airplane back to LA. Charlotte just collapsed and sobbed.

In between the sobs, he'd hear words, blame, guilt, accussations. He heard her anger at herself, her pain and misery at not being able to save her own niece.

_-Been a while between updates. At this point I'm kinda thinking if people aren't reading, there's really no point in continuing. So...yeah.


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